Lioness Tales Tale 1: Njano's Secret
by Niche Eenhoorn
Summary: The lioness Njano had never shared with anyone the reason why she was banished from her Pride, not even with her closest friend Zira. Would you like to know what she's hiding? Read on and find out what made her become an Outlander. Cover image c MorganMP @ DeviantArt, picture used with her permission.
1. The Orphan Cub

**Lioness Tales**

**__****Tale 1: Njano's Secret**

**DISCLAIMER:**

- Any references to The Lion King movie and its characters are property of Walt Disney. I am making absolutely no profit out of this story.  
Any other character you don't recognize from the film belongs to me. If you want to use one of my characters for writing, fanart, etc., just drop me a note!

- The lions in this story pay little or no attention to blood relationship. This means that just like in a real Pride, the couples in this story could be somehow related to each other, but they don't give much importance to that. This particular situation, while not acceptable for humans, is pretty normal in the lions' world, but it will **not** be emphasized or glorified in any way so as to make things look perverted.

- The story contains non-explicit scenes of lions and lionesses mating. While the scenes are not extremely descriptive, they might be more suitable for adult/mature audiences.

- The story includes mild cursing and some violent fighting scenes.

- I am not a native English speaker, so if you find any recurrent grammar issues, please feel free to point them out!

- Special thanks go to my Beta-readers _Spirit-of-the-Rain_ here at , and Jeroen van den Berg!

I hope this covers everything up, now on to the story! Reviews and constructive criticism are more than welcome. Thanks in advance, and enjoy!

* * *

**Foreword**

Zira had always wondered why her close friend Njano never spoke about her past. Njano always avoided the topic and had been very secretive about the reason why she was banished from her own Pride.

The only thing that Njano ever disclosed to Zira was that she had been extremely unpopular, and the leader's patience towards her simply ran out at some point.

Zira actually enjoyed Njano's company, so she was extremely curious as to what she could have done to make her pride-mates loathe her that much. But Njano refused to tell, insisting that it didn't matter anymore. She had moved on, and was not willing to dwell on past events.

But there were times in which Njano would appear to be sad for no reason. Truth to be told, the secret she carried inside her still weighed her down every now and then. It was during those days that Njano could not help recalling her life as a member of a successful and stable Pride, as well as the events that led her to become a nomad, an outcast, an outlander.

It all started with the birth of her own mother...

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Orphan Cub**

A small herd of buffalo was grazing calmly, as the African sun shone down upon them in all its splendor. It was quite a hot day in the Savannah, but the buffalo were not bothered by the heat. They were too engrossed eating, and paid little attention to their surroundings.

A few of them were vaguely aware that there was lioness nearby, who had been roaming around the area, but they felt no fear. They knew that one single lioness would never stand a chance, if she ever decided to attack them.

She had been sniffing and studying the area carefully, and retreated after a while. The buffalo shrugged, uninterested, and carried on with their meal.

But what the buffalo didn't know, was that the lioness was actually not alone. She slunk away and went to meet with the rest of her hunting party, a group of five lionesses, all belonging to the Eyasi Pride. They were well camouflaged between the tall grass and the bushes.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," she said, addressing them quietly, "Bahiya, Chiku and I will go and hide on the opposite side, over there, by that tree. We'll be downwind, so the herd won't smell us easily. The rest of you will launch the attack, and will herd the buffalo in that direction. Once they get near, we will come out of hiding and ambush them. I will target one of them, so be on the lookout for my signal."

The lionesses nodded, looking excited about the prospect of hunting such a big prey.

"And what do I do in the meantime?" interrupted a male lion, who had been listening to their conversation, without them knowing.

The leader of the hunt appeared startled for a moment, and turned to him. "I told you already, we can handle this. You can go back to the lair, and wait for us there, like usual."

The lion shook his head. "Hunting buffalo could be dangerous. I'm afraid you're underestimating them, Adla. Even in small numbers, like this herd here, one single kick or knock with their horns can be deadly. I think I'll stick around this time, just in case you need an extra set of claws and teeth."

The lioness he referred to as Adla sighed, looking unhappy at his lack of faith in her party's hunting skills. "Fine, as you wish. Just stick around here, then. I'll let you know if we need your assistance."

The lion gave her a smile and licked her cheek. "Good luck, and please take care."

Adla nodded, pulling away from him quickly, and then concentrated again on the matter at hand. "Let's go..."

The hunting party split, while the male lion sighed and remained glued to his spot, alert and ready to help out if needed.

As Adla and her team sneaked stealthily towards their hiding spot, Chiku whispered as soft as possible, "Why are you so upset with him, Adla?"

"Because I feel like ever since I got kicked by that gazelle, he's been treating me like a huntress in training, that's why," Adla grunted in return.

"I'm sure he's just worried about you," Bahiya said, "he just wants to make sure you'll be fine."

Adla rolled her eyes. "Sure, like I am the only pregnant lioness in the Savannah who's ever gone hunting."

"Let's be quiet now," Chiku interrupted, "I'm afraid the herd will hear us."

The other two lionesses hushed, and they all took their places in between the plants and bushes. They were nervous, shaking slightly with anticipation.

Once everybody was in their position, the lionesses on the opposite side launched the attack. The buffalo, startled at first, tried to stand their ground, but they felt overwhelmed when they saw there were more lionesses giving chase.

With imposing roars and growls, the lionesses succeeded in herding the buffalo towards where Adla and her group were hiding.

Adla waited until they were close enough, and darted in the direction of the herd, who panicked even more when they saw the whole Pride, attacking them from both sides.

Adla singled one buffalo out quickly; an older female who appeared to have a wounded leg. The lioness roared as she targeted the injured prey, and the Pride quickly followed her lead and gave chase, while the rest of the herd scattered in the opposite direction, towards a thicket of thorny bushes, trampling mostly everything in their path.

The male lion also walked closer to the scene of the chase, but simply sat down as he watched his lionesses in action, looking satisfied. His mouth was already watering at the thought of feasting on such a fine specimen.

It took the effort of all six lionesses to bring the buffalo down, but they eventually succeeded. Adla herself administered the killing bite to the throat, panting heavily, while the adrenaline still rushed through her body.

Once the buffalo had stopped thrashing, the male lion approached his Pride. "Well done. I guess you really didn't need my help after all..."

"Told you so..." Adla replied, still panting, feeling proud of herself, "Should we drag this to the lair, or do you want to eat here?"

"I'm very hungry, let's just stay here for a while."

The lionesses nodded and moved aside, offering their hunt to their leader, who started eating with enthusiasm.

Adla groomed her dusty face with a paw in the meantime, removing the stains caused by the blood from her prey. As she did so, a strange noise caught her ears. She looked around, trying to identify the source of the sound.

"Listen... Do you hear that?" she asked Bahiya, who was sitting closest to her.

Bahiya pricked her ears for a short moment, and nodded. "Sounds like someone crying... Over there, by those bushes."

Adla glanced towards the male lion. "Faraji always takes his time while eating, so maybe I can go check it out in the meantime. Feel like coming along?"

"Yeah, I'm curious now," Bahiya replied, and followed Adla, while the rest of the Pride remained behind, guarding their catch.

The two lionesses sniffed the ground carefully to see if they could detect any trails, but the soil had been disturbed by the trampling buffalo, so it was hard to catch any scents.

"We'll just have to get closer, come on..." Bahiya said.

Adla tried not to curse as the thorny bushes scratched her skin every now and then, but once she made it past the thicket, she stopped in her tracks.

"It's a lioness," she whispered to her friend, "And she looks badly injured..."

They approached the wounded lioness slowly, keeping their guards up. From the looks of her injuries, the lioness must have been resting there when the buffalo stampeded, and ended up being trampled too in the process. She was crying at first, obviously feeling a lot of pain, but went extremely silent when Adla and Bahiya came closer.

"Why would she be lying here, of all places?" Bahiya asked, looking at the prickly, uninviting bushes around them.

"That's why..." Adla said, as she pointed to a motionless bundle of fur. It was a small cub, only a few days old, who passed away while still cuddled up against its mother's tummy.

"Oh, dear... She'd come here to give birth... This is horrible!"

Bahiya looked around and found the limp body of another cub not far away. It also looked bruised and trampled. She shook her head, looking sad, and returned to Adla, who was also inspecting the area.

"Here's another one... and it's still alive!" Adla said, brightening up.

She inspected the cub closely. It was covered in blood, but the lionesses couldn't tell if it was its own, or its mother's.

"There's something wrong with it... Not sure if it got kicked around too, or if it was born this way... See the shape of its head?"

Bahiya looked and agreed that the cub's face looked strange, slightly deformed. Instead of the usual round head, the cub's right front side looked a bit flattened.

"It looks like it's lost an eye, or was born without one," Bahiya mused.

They were still looking at the cub intently, when the wounded mother, having realized which cub they were talking about, finally dared to speak. "She's... She's still alive? Please, take her with you," she whispered, sounding very weak and tired.

Adla turned to her and walked closer, feeling quite sad for her and her dead cubs.

"Don't leave her here to die with me, please... She's already survived this ordeal, give her a chance..." she insisted with more urgency.

Adla took a deep breath, pondering for a moment, but then nodded solemnly in the end. She felt responsible for this massacre, as she was the one who ordered the pride to herd the buffalo in this direction.

"I'll take care of her, I promise. What's her name?"

"Duni," the lioness replied between groans of pain, "she's the runt, and was born unhealthy... I thought she wouldn't make it past the first night, but as you can see, she's... she's a... fighter..."

Bahiya paced from side to side nervously. "Are you sure about this, Adla? What if Faraji doesn't agree?"

"It's worth a try," Adla replied softly, staring at the wounded lioness, whose chest was not rising anymore. She had closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, only not to breathe again.

Adla placed the other lifeless cub next to its mother and sibling, and kept a short moment of silence. "Let's head back, there's nothing else we can do for them now."

Adla then picked up Duni by the scruff of her neck and tried hard to make it through the thorny bushes without harming the cub in the process.

Once they reached the spot where the buffalo was killed, Bahiya went to join the rest of the lionesses, glancing nervously at Adla and the cub every now and then. She wasn't sure how Faraji would react, as he didn't take kindly to strangers in his territory. Bahiya could only hope that Adla, his mate and the alpha lioness, would be able to persuade him to take this cub into the Pride.

Faraji was already done eating, and the rest of the huntresses were now enjoying their meal. Bahiya quickly filled the lionesses in on what had happened, and now the whole Pride was looking nervously at their two leaders, wondering what Faraji would do in this case.

In the meantime, Adla had walked to Faraji resolutely, and gently placed the cub down, in front of him.

Faraji, who up until then had looked relaxed and content after a good meal, frowned immediately. He stood up quickly and sniffed the tiny cub carefully. "What's the meaning of this?"

Adla explained what happened, and how she had promised to take care of the only survivor of the terrible accident.

Faraji rolled his eyes. "You cannot do that! You have your own future cub to think of! You cannot go picking up random cubs here and there, much less unhealthy ones!"

"If she's meant to die, then she'll die anyway, but I want to give it a try," Adla replied, keeping her composure, "Come on, Faraji. She's a female, for all you know she could make a good huntress in the future. I really want to keep her and give her a chance."

"You're only doing this because of your current state. If you weren't pregnant, you wouldn't have given this weak cub a second glance," Faraji muttered, looking sour.

"Maybe you're right, but I guess we'll never know," Adla replied, "All I know for sure is that this is how I feel _right now_. We can take her back to the lair, so that Gasira can feed her, and just wait and see what the future holds in stock for her. Will you let me do this, please?"

"You know... Just... Do whatever you want; you always do, anyway," Faraji replied, looking angrier than before, and turned around to leave, "Just promise you won't come crying to me when she passes away in the middle of the night one of these days..."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to spare you my tears," she replied coldly as she watched him walk away, but her face sported a triumphant grin. The Pride joined her once Faraji was far enough, wondering if she was okay.

"I'm fine, don't worry. As for him, just give him some time alone. He'll get over it soon, you'll see. I say for now we drag our catch back to the lair, so that Gasira can also have something to eat. She'll need the extra energy to feed both her cub and this little one here."

The lionesses agreed, and they started the way home, dragging the buffalo remains along with them.

Their lair was located at the base of a small rock formation, with a few niches all around it, where the lions liked to lay down to sleep or just relax. There were also several trees nearby, which provided shelter from the heat of the sun.

Adla carried Duni gently by her neck as they walked back. The cub was blissfully unaware of everything that was going on around her. She was so young, that she could not understand the tragic events that had just taken place. Duni simply enjoyed the warmth of a lioness body next to her, once Gasira, the only one who was able to nurse cubs at this point, had accepted to feed the new comer. Duni welcomed Gasira's milk enthusiastically. She ate well, and went to sleep almost immediately after.

Safi, Gasira's male cub, nursed next to her. He was about two months older than Duni, and could already tell that there was something strange about this new cub. He kept giving Duni curious glances every now and then, but it was not long after that he also joined Duni in a peaceful nap.

Adla watched the two cubs for a while, and smiled warmly. Soon she would be able to feed Duni and her own cub, and she felt she could hardly wait.


	2. Breaking the Ice

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 2: Breaking the Ice**

A couple of months went by, and against all odds, Duni was still very much alive. The lionesses quickly realized that the cub was not sickly at all, on the contrary, she had as much energy and drive as Safi, and was growing up at the normal rate of a healthy cub.

The biggest problem with Duni, though, was that she was not able to see. It appeared that the eye on the flat side of her head never developed properly, and the eyelids simply remained closed at all times. But Adla soon also discovered that even after Duni had opened her left eye, the cub still could not see where she was walking. Duni kept tripping over rocks and twigs, and falling down the edge of their niche at the lair.

This would have meant a death sentence for any other cub out there, but Adla had been very keen in taking care of her, and dealing with Duni's disability. She even decided to trade her usual resting spot for another, to a lower niche, so that Duni wouldn't hurt herself if she were to fall down again.

Faraji, in the meantime, had reluctantly gotten used to the cub's presence, but he still had not built any kind of bond with her. He didn't have any hopes for Duni. What good was a lioness that could not see? She wouldn't be able to hunt or cub-sit. In his eyes, Duni was basically useless. While he never voiced this out loud for Duni to hear, the fact that he didn't seek any contact with her, made Duni feel a bit shy and insecure whenever he was around.

The cub was already aware that she was different than Safi, in several ways. The lionesses had made no secret of the fact that she had been adopted by Adla into the Eyasi Pride. Damisi, in particular, kept reminding her of the chance that she had been given, and that she should always be grateful to Adla for saving her life.

Then there was her disability. _You can't do this or do that because you can't see_, they told her often. But Duni didn't understand what they meant. To her, it was as if someone was telling her a word in a foreign language. What did it mean, to see? The cub simply relied on her sense of smell and hearing to navigate around, but from what they kept telling her, this was not good enough.

She couldn't understand why, and this would bring her down every now and then. But most of the time she was happy and cheerful, and would play-wrestle with Safi, putting up such a good fight, that anyone who didn't know Duni would have a hard time telling that she was blind.

Duni had also started to recognize the scents and voices of the members of the Pride and was already quite good at matching these with the names of the lionesses. She was mostly familiar with her adoptive mother Adla, whose voice was soft and soothing, but could be strong and stern when she needed to assert her dominance.

Then there was Bahiya, Adla's closest friend. They often hung out together, and Duni learned they were very close in rank. When Adla was away, Bahiya would quickly assume the leader position, and the rest of the Pride wouldn't hesitate in following her orders.

Gasira, the lioness who shared her milk with her, had a melodious voice and she enjoyed singing lullabies for her and Safi, before nap time. She was very gentle and warm, and preferred to avoid confrontation, leaving the big decisions to the leaders of the Pride.

The rest of the lionesses didn't pay her much attention, but Duni could still tell when they were around by their voices, their laughter and their scent. There were Chiku and Damisi, who liked to gossip about everything, and would laugh loudly a lot. Etana and Faiza would often come and go, as they shared guard and cub-duty, and would inform Faraji about any intruders nearby.

And then there was Faraji himself. Duni could hear him and feel his presence, since the lionesses tended to be more reserved and subdued when he was around. Once, per accident she tripped on one of his massive paws, which made him snarl at her and walk away. That was as much contact as she had had with him, so Duni was still pretty much clueless as to what his personality was really like.

Judging from what the other lionesses had to say about him, he was a fair leader, and cared for his lionesses deeply. Duni couldn't say she felt the same way about him, but she didn't waste too much time pondering about this. She'd quickly get distracted and forget about Faraji as she played and frolicked, whether with Safi, or on her own.

It was one early morning, as the sun came out and cast its warm rays on the rocks of the Eyasi lair, that Duni's daily routine changed in a matter of seconds. She woke up when she heard Adla muttering to someone, "It's time, I can feel it. The cub is coming..."

"Oh... Can you make it to your chosen place?" came the deep voice of Faraji, sounding concerned.

"Yes, I'll leave now. Bahiya already agreed to watch over Duni while I'm gone, but... Could you also keep an eye on her too? Will you do it for me?"

"Sure, don't you worry about her, just concentrate on your own cub for now. Please, take care..." Faraji replied, sounding excited about the arrival of his new son or daughter.

Adla nuzzled his face and nodded. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Seeing that Duni was already awake, Adla bent down and whispered, "Duni, I have to go now, sweetie. Remember what I told you the other day, about the new cub?"

Duni nodded, staring straight ahead for a moment as she sniffed the air around her. She could smell both Adla's and Faraji's excitement, and couldn't help sharing the feeling too.

"The time has come now, so I have to leave for a few days. Now, you'll be a very good cub, and will do everything Faraji and the older lionesses ask you to. You promise?"

"Sure, I promise," Duni replied, and sensing Adla's face was near her own, thanks to her long whiskers that tickled Duni slightly, the cub took a step forward and head-butted Adla gently.

Adla gave Duni a tender lick on her cheek, and walked away, heading towards the secluded spot she had chosen to bring her cub into the world.

Duni smiled and sighed deeply. She lay down on her belly, while resting her head on her paws, wondering what the new cub would sound and smell like. As she let her imagination run wild for a moment, she listened to Faraji's steady breathing. The lion usually shared the same niche with Adla, and Duni could tell he was still somewhere nearby. The cub couldn't help but feel curious about Faraji, and wondered whether she could get to know him better.

She raised her head and smelled around, while pricking her ears, until she could determine his location. Duni then stood up and approached him, little by little, not wanting to trip on his paws again and upset him.

As his scent grew stronger, she paid close attention to his breathing; she had already learned that he tended to breathe a lot faster and heavier when he was upset or annoyed. But Faraji still sounded relaxed.

For a short moment, Faraji held his breath, once he noticed Duni slowly making her way towards him. He looked around, making sure there was no one else nearby, and then fixed his gaze intently on the cub again.

Duni tilted her head, looking confused for a moment, wondering why Faraji's breathing had stopped. It was then when she suddenly felt a burst of hot air on her face that made her cringe. She curled into a tiny ball and tucked her tail and ears, trying to make herself smaller. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that Faraji was simply sniffing her, for the first time since she was taken in.

_His nose must be huge... _Duni thought, feeling his breath on her face, allowing Faraji to get familiar with her own smell.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," his voice boomed, as his head retreated, "Adla would never forgive me if I gave so much as a scratch to you."

Duni uncurled herself and looked upwards, towards the sound of his voice. _Maybe now is a good time to be grateful, like Damisi always says,_ she thought, hoping to break the ice a little bit.

"Um, morning, sir... Er... Thanks... I mean, for letting me stay in your Pride..."

There was a short moment of silence, after which she only heard Faraji say, "Hmmph. You're welcome."

_At least she's learned some manners, but what else can she learn? _he thought.

Duni took a few more steps forward, using her whiskers to feel when she had gotten close enough. She finally reached one of his front paws, and started sniffing it and rubbing it with her head and chin carefully.

"What in the world are you doing?" Faraji asked, retreating his paw upwards and sounding slightly annoyed.

"Sorry... I'm... The thing is, I know what Adla and the other lionesses feel like, you know? But you feel different... I mean, your paw's huge! I think you're a whole lot bigger than them. Am I right?"

Faraji couldn't help but chuckle for a moment. He even lowered his paw for her again, looking at the cub with an amused expression. "Well, of course. Lions are always bigger than the lionesses."

"Huh? Really? Then how come Safi's about my size?"

"Just wait until he grows up."

When Duni was done getting familiar with the feel of his paw, she ventured to ask, "Is it okay if I feel your face too?"

Faraji blinked, looking surprised at her boldness for a moment, but he decided to humour her.

"All right," he said, as he lay down on his belly for her. He found it intriguing to see how Duni dealt with getting to know the other members of the Pride, and wanted to experience it himself.

Duni got closer as she carefully sniffed his face. Although she couldn't see anything through her left eye, it was wide open anyway, giving her a curious expression. She then closed her eye and concentrated on Faraji's features, as she proceeded to paw and rub his face with her own. It was indeed bigger than Adla's, and with more rough patches and battle scars. But what startled her the most was the huge amount of fur surrounding his head.

"Whoa... What's all this?" she asked, as she kneaded his mane with her paws and buried her nose in it.

"It's my mane," Faraji replied, feeling amused at the cub's reaction to something as mundane as his thick, dark-brown hair, "All male lions grow extra long fur around their head and neck when they grow up."

Duni seemed to be having fun while burying her face in it playfully. "Weird... What's it for?"

"It offers me protection for when I have to defend our territory from intruders. My throat and chest are less exposed this way."

Duni nodded, absorbing every word he said like a sponge.

Faraji then heard someone approaching, and not wanting to be caught bonding with _the weakling_, he stood up hastily, while Duni, not expecting him to get up so quickly, rolled off his mane and fell unto the ground. Faraji looked over his shoulder and saw Bahiya walking to him.

"Good morning, Faraji. Have you seen Adla?" Bahiya asked, as she greeted him with a nuzzle. The lioness raised an eyebrow, wondering why Duni lay sprawled in a strange position on the floor while giggling to herself.

"Adla said she felt the cub was coming, and left this morning to give birth," he replied casually.

Bahiya couldn't help but smile when she heard the good news. She then approached Duni and helped her up."You okay there?"

"Yeah!" Duni replied with a grin, "I was just getting to know Faraji's face and mane, but then he got up and I lost my grip, and I fell."

Bahiya turned to Faraji, giving him a warm smile. "Well, well... Are you actually warming up to her now?"

Faraji looked away, as he knew his cover was blown. "Adla asked me to watch over her, that's all."

Bahiya simply smiled and didn't push the issue further. "Yeah, we also promised Adla to keep Duni safe and sound until she returns."

The lioness bent over and nuzzled Duni gently. "Hey, do you think you can find the other lionesses, by following my most recent trail back to where they are resting?" she asked her, knowing that the Pride was not far away, and Duni wouldn't encounter any dangers.

"I bet I can!" Duni replied enthusiastically, "Will you be there soon?"

"Yes, you go ahead and I'll catch up with you in a minute."

Duni grinned and started following Bahiya's trail, feeling happy that the lioness trusted her tracking abilities enough to let her walk on her own, even if it was for a short distance.

"You really think she'll find them?" Faraji asked with curiosity, watching the cub walk away with her nose glued to the ground.

"Of course. I've left extra marks for her, to help her along the way, and the Pride's resting nearby. Don't worry, she'll be fine."

Faraji nodded and looked at Bahiya, who was staring at him thoughtfully.

"Something in your mind?"

Bahiya hesitated for a moment, "Adla's gonna be gone for a few days, so I was thinking... Could I sleep by your side while she's away?" she whispered.

Faraji sighed deeply and looked away. "You know that's bound to raise a few eyebrows."

Bahiya shrugged. "Then let them gossip, who cares?"

"I do. How many times must we go through this, Bahiya?"

The lioness frowned slightly. "It's so unfair... I still can't understand how you can be so at ease with this whole situation."

"It's how things are, okay? Everyone knows that Adla and I were betrothed since we were born, as tradition dictates, and that's that."

"I've heard tales of lions breaking the rules. Why couldn't you be one of them?"

"Please stop," he said, looking upset while pacing back and forth, "This situation hurts me as much as it hurts you, but you're certainly not making things easier on me whenever you keep bringing this up, Bahiya..."

The lioness looked at him as tears started to form in her eyes. "You know Adla wouldn't mind if we slept-"

"That's not the point. I know Adla wouldn't mind, but she and I are the leaders here, the figures of authority. If we start breaking the rules and doing whatever we want, our Pride's going to start doing the same and everything will fall apart. We need to have structure and discipline."

Bahiya snorted for a moment. "Oh, sure. So tell me, why did you accept Duni into the Pride then, huh?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Faraji asked her, sounding more annoyed than before.

"You're so ready to stick with the rules and traditions, but the moment Adla asks something of you, you're willing to bend those rules in a whim. Why didn't you kill that cub the moment Adla brought her to you? That's the _tradition_, isn't it?"

Faraji was at a loss of words for a moment, knowing Bahiya was right. "She's my mate, of course I'm bound to make some concessions for her," he snarled softly after a while, trying not to sound defeated.

"How about for the lioness you love? I'm not asking for much, Faraji... I just want to snuggle up beside you, that's all."

Faraji looked at Bahiya with sadness in his eyes. He sighed and motioned her to come closer.

Bahiya sat close to him and nuzzled his mane, while drying her tears on it. Faraji returned her affections and for a moment they remained silent, nuzzling and licking each other's face, while he cursed in his mind the moment they realized they had fallen in love. That had only made things more complicated than they already were.

Eventually Bahiya looked into his eyes and whispered, "So... Can I sleep here with you?"

Faraji closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Bahiya... My answer is still no. We can be together once your season comes. Then we won't owe anybody any explanations, and we won't be betraying Adla's trust either."

Bahiya took a step back, looking hurt. "Fine... So be it then. I guess I'll go now. Duni and the others are probably wondering what's taking so long; you don't want them getting any nasty thoughts, hmm?"

Faraji sighed and watched as the lioness left without another word. He cursed softly, and left the lair, hoping that some fresh morning air and some cool water would help him clear his mind.


	3. Disappointment

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 3: Disappointment**

Adla returned to the Pride after a couple of weeks, proudly displaying her new cub to the lionesses and to Faraji.

"It's a male, so it's up to you to name him," Adla told Faraji, while the Pride looked at him with excitement.

"Hmm, I had thought of a couple of names, but let me see..." he replied, as he eyed the little cub closely, trying to decide which name would suit him better, "All right, I've made up my mind. His name will be Erevu."

"Welcome, Erevu!" the Pride exclaimed, as they took turns to nuzzle the new comer.

Duni also came to meet him, and took her time sniffing and pawing the cub.

"Be gentle, Duni, he's very little," Adla whispered.

Duni nodded. "Yeah, he really feels so tiny... Was I this small once too?"

Adla chuckled and nuzzled Duni. "You were even smaller when I found you, can you imagine?"

"Wow... No, not really," the little lioness said, still scenting Erevu carefully.

Faraji cleared his throat. "I was just about to go do the rounds, but would you like me to stay a bit longer?"

"No, don't worry, " Adla replied, shaking her head, "You go ahead, I'll be fine."

"You sure? The lionesses were about to go hunting too, but maybe one of them can stay behind with you, in case you need anything..."

Adla was about to tell him off again, but Bahiya was faster than her, and actually volunteered to stay.

"Mind if I keep you company in cub-duty? I heard Gasira was really looking forward to rejoin the hunt again. We can watch over Safi and Duni for a change, and Chiku can lead the hunt this time."

Adla eventually agreed; she had missed Bahiya and was looking forward to catch up.

Faraji licked his lionesses and wished them good luck, and then walked away to patrol his lands. The hunting party also left not long after, with high spirits, in anticipation of a good meal.

Bahiya settled down next to Adla, who was grooming Erevu tenderly.

"Are you feeling all right? It's not like you to miss a hunt," Adla said, turning to her friend after a while.

Bahiya simply nodded. "I'm feeling fine, but my heart was not into it today."

Adla frowned slightly, and then turned to Safi and Duni, who were arguing about who would teach what game to Erevu, once he was old enough to join them in playtime.

"Hey, you two... Keep it down, you're going to wake up Erevu with your yelling. Why don't you go and play by the trees? Then you can be as noisy as you like."

Duni and Safi seemed to like the idea, and they headed off together to play by the shade of the trees, where Adla and Bahiya could still keep an eye on them in the distance.

Once the cubs were far enough, Adla whispered, "So... Did you get some quality time with Faraji while I was gone?"

Bahiya snorted. "Nope, he completely turned me down. He didn't want to betray your trust, nor have the lionesses gossiping about this."

Adla raised an eyebrow. "He didn't! You're kidding me, right?"

Bahiya shook her head. "Seems he's only willing to bend the rules for you, I'm afraid. I'll have to wait till my season comes if I want to spend time alone with him."

"Oh, that stupid lion," Adla grunted, "I'm sorry, Bahiya... Maybe I should just talk to him, tell him-"

"He knows you wouldn't mind, that's the worst part. Yet he still pushes me away. Just drop it, Adla, I know how things are between us now, and I promised myself I'd keep my distance until the time is right."

Adla rolled her eyes. "You two are the biggest masochists I know, that's for sure. But fine, if that's what you both want, suit yourselves. Just remember, you don't have to worry about me making a fuss."

Bahiya couldn't hide a small grin. "You still don't feel anything at all for him?"

"Oh, no, not really. I mean, I care for him, don't get me wrong, but he tends to get on my nerves a lot. I really wouldn't mind if he were to send all traditions to hell and just pick you."

Bahiya sighed, but changed topic, not wanting to get more depressed than she already felt. "By the way, I think Faraji's finally had some contact with Duni. She said he allowed her to get to know him, by feeling his face. Too bad we had to miss that!"

"Really? That's good to hear, I hope they will get along better now..." Adla replied, eying Duni, who was prancing in the distance.

"Yeah, I believe Duni definitely feels more at ease when he's around, she doesn't look nervous or shy any more."

Bahiya's perception of the situation was indeed true. Duni no longer felt scared about the imposing male lion roaming the area, she actually felt safer, knowing someone as big and strong as him was making sure that no harm would come to the Pride. But Duni and Faraji weren't close at all, and he still preferred to keep his distance. He kept an eye on Duni all the same, though, intrigued by how well she had managed to fare so far, despite her blindness.

* * *

As Duni grew older, she started noticing that the lionesses were less charmed by her than when she had been a young cub. They were less prone to laugh at silly things she'd say, and they would get up impatiently after Duni had gotten close to feel them.

When Erevu had started saying his first words, melting the lionesses' hearts in the process, Duni thought back to the days in which she'd get similar reactions from them. She attempted a little regression of her own, acting cub-like once again to feel accepted, but it only made things worse. The lionesses would scold her, telling her she was too old to be acting like a fool and that she should be acting her age.

As such, Duni was having a bit of trouble adjusting to the new situation. Erevu got all the attention these days, and she wasn't sure what to do to get it back.

Safi had told her, "They always do this when a new cub arrives. They all ignored me too, when you came along."

But Duni didn't want to be pushed aside, and tried hard to re-establish the bond she had built so far. She began sniffing and pawing the lionesses like she used to do in the beginning, but that also produced angry reactions as of late.

"You know what I feel like already, okay?" Etana finally told her one day, which took Duni aback, "Please stop pawing my face!"

Duni, knowing the Pride was resting nearby, asked out loud for everyone to hear, "Um... Is everyone else also annoyed by my pawing?"

"Well... It is getting kind of old, and you're getting too big to hang on our faces like that," Faiza had to admit, while the other lionesses agreed, "If you're seeking some contact, why don't you try and groom us instead? That's a lot nicer than having muddy or dusty paws on your face all the time."

Duni nodded silently, trying hard not to look hurt, and turned to Etana again, giving her a hesitant lick on the cheek.

"Mmhmm, that's the deal. Now try behind the ears..." Etana said, sounding a lot more receptive than before, which reassured Duni. She was willing to try this new method of contact, and proceeded to groom her pride-mate, while Etana clearly enjoyed herself.

Cubs Duni's age wouldn't usually engage in grooming others yet, not having the patience to sit through a session. But since Duni was so touch-oriented, the lionesses thought she would enjoy the task. And they were right; Duni loved the activity and how relaxed the lionesses would be after she was done. She took it upon herself to groom them after they returned from hunting, and the Pride, for a change, did not complain.

One evening, as the sun began to set and the weather cooled down slightly, Adla invited Duni and Safi to go take a walk with her.

Both cubs accepted right away, feeling curious as to where Adla would take them this time.

The lioness would often take them to see dangerous places, which she knew the cubs were bound to find, and would want to explore eventually. She preferred to go with them and show them around first; if they ended up in one of those places again on their own, at least they would know what dangers lurk there, and what to expect.

They had already been to the tall, thick trees where the monkeys pelted them with rocks and seeds. They had been to the elephants' territory, where a friendly bull gave Duni the chance to feel how big and strong elephants actually were. They had also explored a distant cave, which wild dogs sometimes used as shelter during the rainy season, but they left rather quickly, since Duni found the echo too disorienting.

This time, Adla had chosen to visit another spot that had already claimed a few cubs' lives in the past. It was also a secluded place where she could have a heart to heart with them, away from prying ears.

"Why isn't Erevu coming with us?" Safi asked as they walked.

"He's still too young and gets tired easily, he probably won't think this is fun. Besides, there's something important I need to discuss with you both only."

Duni lagged a few steps behind, following their trail. A distant noise reached her ears and she stopped on her tracks.

"Adla, do you hear that?"

Adla turned to her and perked her ears. "Hear what, honey?"

"That noise," Duni replied, tilting her head, "sounds like rain, kinda far away, but I don't feel any drops..."

Adla blinked a couple of times, looking impressed. "That's probably the river that you hear. We're actually heading that way, you know. Wow, I just can't believe you can hear it from here... Can you hear it, Safi?"

Safi tried hard, but he had no idea what Duni was talking about, and shook his head.

"What's a river?" Duni asked.

"It's water that's in constant movement, except during the drought, when the water tends to dry up. I wanted to show it to you, so that you know what you're facing. You must be very careful, the river is no safe place for a swim. The current may drag you away from land, and there could also be crocodiles in the water."

Once they finally reached the river bank, Adla did a thorough inspection, checking for crocodiles or any other predators. "Come, it's safe," she said after a while, and the two cubs approached her, making their way slowly towards the water.

Duni approached the source of the sound carefully. She was no stranger to water, but her first attempt at swimming at a nearby lake had left her with the firm purpose of never touching water ever again. She found it most treacherous; she couldn't smell what animals were lurking underneath, and since there was no trail to follow after jumping in, she would easily lose track of where she was heading, causing her to panic.

"You're almost at the edge, Duni. One more step and you'll be able to feel the running water. Go on, it's safe, it's not deep just yet. Just don't jump in."

"I hear ya," Duni replied, and took a step forward. The water tickled her paw slightly as it ran over it. Duni could feel the grains of sand under her paw-pad being carried away whenever she shuffled her leg. She liked the feeling, but was not keen on going any deeper. Duni then heard lapping next to her; it was Adla, who had bent over for a drink. Duni relaxed, knowing they were not in immediate danger.

Safi was having fun splashing around, throwing water at Duni playfully, and for a short moment the two cubs engaged in a water fight.

"All right, settle down you two, come here for a sec," Adla told them after a while.

The two cubs obediently sat by Adla's side, and she quickly dried them up with her tongue.

"Listen," Adla said, sounding more serious than before, "As Leader of the Pride, it's my duty to let you know a few important things about the ways of the lions."

Both cubs listened raptly, as they knew some sort of lesson was coming up.

"What I have to say is a bit difficult, but I hope you will understand. I'll start with you, Safi. You've probably noticed already that there is only one adult male lion around. Have you ever wondered why?"

Safi pondered for a moment, before shaking his head. "Not really, I mean, I've noticed, but didn't think any of it..."

"The reason is that only the leader sticks around to care for the Pride. All the other male lions have to leave once they become adults, to form their own Pride somewhere else."

"Oh... That means Erevu will have to leave too then? Could we leave together?"

Adla shook her head. "I'm sorry, Safi. Erevu is my son and Faraji's. Being the cub of the Pride's leaders means that he will take Faraji's place as leader, in case something were to happen to him. Unless Erevu eventually decides to form a coalition with you, this means that you will have to leave the Pride once you are of age. This is why I would like to ask you to join the lionesses for hunting lessons. That way you will be more prepared to fend for yourself, once the time comes."

"And Erevu? Won't he need to learn too?" Safi asked, sounding slightly resentful.

"Erevu will be taught other things, such as how to take care of the territory, and make sure to keep trespassers at bay. He won't need to worry about hunting as the lionesses in the Pride will provide him with food."

Safi looked down for a moment, looking somber. "Lucky him, I guess..."

Duni, who had been listening without missing a word, asked, "What if a lioness wants to leave with Safi? Like, I could go with him, so that he won't be lonely, and I could go hunting for him, you know?"

"Puh, I don't want _you_ around," Safi replied moodily, "You can't see, how you gonna hunt for me, huh?"

Duni didn't know what to reply, but it was Adla who took over. "Don't take it out on Duni, Safi. It's how things are and it's nobody's fault."

Adla turned to Duni, and softened her tone a bit. "This brings me to you, sweetie. The lionesses are not quite sure that giving you hunting lessons is a good idea..."

Duni turned towards the sound of her voice, looking very shaken after hearing Safi's remark, and now this. "But... Isn't hunting all what being a lioness is about?"

Adla found it hard to reply, but she quickly regained her composure. "Hunting plays a big role, yes, but it's not all there is to it. Lionesses also need to stay behind to watch over the lair, and keep an eye on the cubs..."

"Will the lionesses trust me with that? Or will this 'not being able to see' thing you all keep going on about is gonna be a problem too?"

"I understand how you feel Duni. I've asked them to at least give you a chance. I know you're very talented, and your sense of smell and hearing is extraordinary. I am sure we can put those talents to good use, we'll just have to find out how to work things out. I just wanted to warn you about how the lionesses feel, in case you feel some tension coming from their side. I didn't want that to take you by surprise when your lessons begin."

Duni rubbed her face with a paw, trying to hide the tears escaping from her eye. "So will I get to join in the lessons along with Safi anyway?"

"Yes, you will. I just thought it would be best for you to know each other's situation, so that you can support each other. You can practice what you've learned together, and just... be supportive if things get rough."

Safi let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I guess..."

Adla nuzzled them gently. "It's getting dark now, let's head home."

The three of them made their way back to the lair, with less high spirits than before. Duni was worried about what the future would bring. Safi's path was very clear, but hers was full with uncertainty, and it made her very uneasy. The lionesses could tell something was wrong when Adla returned, and Duni went straight to her niche without kissing the Pride good night first.


	4. Hunting in the Darkness

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 4: Hunting in the Darkness**

Duni had kept more to herself ever since she had that conversation with Adla by the river. Finding out that the lionesses didn't find it worth their time to teach Duni how to hunt came as a harsh revelation of what the Pride thought of her. But after a few days of sulking, Duni finally decided she would do all that was within her reach to prove them wrong.

She started by paying extra attention and learning all the theory by heart. Duni couldn't help feeling proud of herself when she didn't fail to answer any of the lionesses questions. But today would be the first practical lesson. Therefore, Duni was extremely nervous, and kept pacing to and fro, as they waited for Safi to show up.

He finally arrived, looking bored and uninterested.

"This is going to be a piece of cake, don't you think?" he teased Duni, seeing her nervous pacing.

"Easy for you to say... I still haven't figured out yet how to put everything we've learned into practice without having the extra advantage that you guys have."

Safi yawned noisily and replied, "You'll do fine, stop fretting."

They both looked up when their teachers called for their attention. Bahiya and Chiku would be teaching them today, while Adla, unbeknownst to all of them, had decided to keep an eye on Duni from afar, in case she were to get in trouble.

"All right, gather round," Bahiya said, "We've found a group of antelope grazing not far from here. Your objective for today will be to target one of them, and chase it down. There will be no killing today, so all you need to do is pin the antelope to the ground, and then immediately release it. Don't use your nails, and don't bite them."

"Remember, don't just go chasing them randomly," Chiku added, "We will want to know afterwards what prompted you to target that specific animal, and we want to hear a good reason for it. Is everything clear? Any questions?"

Safi and Duni shook their heads. The lionesses then silently lead the students to where the antelope were grazing.

"Okay, Safi, you'll go first. Once the herd regroups, Duni will have a go," Chiku said, and nuzzled the young lion quickly. "Good luck!"

Safi took a deep breath, and immediately adopted a stalking position, hiding from the view of the antelope. The lionesses watched him from afar, while Duni listened intently to their commentary.

"His tail's up, he'd better tuck it in soon, or else..." Chiku whispered.

"Ah, there he goes, almost like he heard you! Good. What do you think of the antelope?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Chiku replied, "I see at least three potential targets. That young one over there, that female with the limp, and the old one who looks like he's asleep. Let's see if Safi manages to spot hem too..."

The lionesses waited in silence, while Duni shifted her ears often, trying to pick up the voices of the antelope in the distance. It appeared none of them had noticed Safi yet and they were still going on about their business. Duni wondered if there was a way for her to track back the three weak antelope that Chiku had singled out, but for now it was no use worrying about it. Safi was bound to scare the herd and they would scatter and regroup elsewhere, where she'd have to start the search for a target all over again.

"There he goes!" Bahiya exclaimed, and both lionesses held their breaths for a while, only to breathe again once Safi had successfully tackled one of the antelope.

Safi returned sporting a triumphant smile, which erased quickly from his face once Bahiya and Chiku started questioning his choice.

"Why did you target that one?"

"Um, well, he was closest to me, he hadn't seen me, and he was quite big. I could've fed the whole Pride with that, huh?"

"He was also much stronger than the rest, and you wouldn't have had a chance of actually suffocating him on your own. When you're hunting for yourself, you'll have to focus on smaller prey. There's no use going for the biggest one if you can't hold on to it."

Safi growled slightly. "I could have killed him if I wanted to, you know."

Chiku snorted. "We'll see about that when the time's right. For now, good job on your stalking skills, just keep an eye on that tail."

Safi nodded, still feeling proud at his first attempt.

The group then moved towards where the herd had regrouped, and the lionesses turned to Duni. "You have to do this on your own," Chiku told her, sounding very serious, "there will be no hints from our side. Just for your information, the three antelope we had singled out earlier are nowhere to be seen. You will have to identify if there's another antelope with a weakness. Got it?"

"Yes... I think so," Duni replied.

"Whenever you're ready," Bahiya told her and gave her a quick nuzzle too, for good luck.

Duni began by sniffing around first, but she couldn't smell the herd clearly; the lionesses must have led her upwind to make it more difficult for her. Fair enough, she thought, not all prey would be standing right in front of her nose to be tracked down. She decided to use her ears instead, and headed in the direction of the herd's sounds instead. Duni adopted the stalking position and off she went.

Chiku and Bahiya didn't take their eyes off Duni, while Safi also followed her progress, not really interested, just curious to see how far she could go.

Duni was unfamiliar with this area, which meant that she had to walk very slowly, to make sure she was not stepping into anything that could make a noise and alert the herd, or perhaps even hurt herself. Finally, she was able to scent the antelope, and she crouched down to the ground as low as possible.

Unfortunately, there were so many voices nearby that Duni was having a really hard time estimating the distance between all of them and herself, and she hadn't been able to spot any of their weaknesses yet. She concentrated very hard, listening to the sound of their voices, trying to focus on those who sounded young or old. She eventually heard two young voices, belonging to someone playing around nearby; their mother scolded them gently, reminding them to be quiet and stay on the lookout for predators.

Duni decided she would try and go for them, but the biggest problem now was how to get close without giving herself away? The lioness became more and more nervous, as the antelope scent became too overpowering, confusing her even further. She decided to trust her ears and finally gave chase in the direction where she had heard the two young antelope.

Through the commotion around her, Duni could hear that the antelope had seen her and were running away, but she still could hear the two young ones not far away, laughing and mocking her.

"Isn't that the lousiest huntress you've ever seen?"

Duni stopped on her tracks, tilting her head, completely confused and having lost all sense of direction. _Why are the two calves not running away? _she thought. Duni charged again, resulting only in more laughter.

"Hey, doofus, they went the other way!"

"Now, now, be nice, she's only learning, from the looks of her," the mother chided again.

Duni could not help feeling extremely frustrated and angry, and charged again towards where she had heard the voices, running as fast as she could, only to ram head first into the trunk of a huge, thick three. Duni groaned in pain, and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Ow! That's gotta hurt... Hey, mom, is she dead?" came the young voice again.

"I don't think so. Don't go down there, maybe she's trying to trick us into going to check her out..."

Just a few moments later, Safi, Chiku and Bahiya arrived at the scene. The lionesses nuzzled Duni, looking worried.

"Wake up, come on..." Chiku said, licking the lioness' face.

Bahiya looked around and spotted a family of vervet monkeys sitting on a low branch of the tree that Duni had rammed, peeking down at them interestedly, but far out of reach. The lioness put two and two together, and sighed deeply, shaking her head.

"She must have been so confused, she couldn't even tell what she was chasing down any more."

Shortly after, Adla also arrived, having witnessed everything from a distance.

"Adla! Did you see what happened?" Chiku asked.

Adla nodded, as she nuzzled Duni gently. The young lioness stirred slightly as she came to, but the rest of the Pride didn't notice.

"She must have gotten disoriented," Adla explained, "Something similar happened when we went to visit the abandoned cave; she kept walking into walls and such. The antelope made such a ruckus and at that point I could see she had no idea where she was going anymore. Imagine a hundred trails to follow and a hundred voices around you, not knowing which one to pick..."

"Which is exactly why I was against teaching her to hunt in the first place," Chiku interrupted, "It's a waste of our time and you're putting her in danger. Today it was charging against a tree. What if tomorrow she charges down a cliff?"

Adla bared her teeth at Chiku for a moment, but Bahiya tried to calm both lionesses down. "Please, don't fight... Adla, we did as you told us, but you've seen the outcome. We gave her a chance... Here's the result. I can't blame Chiku for feeling this way, she's got a point..."

Adla listened to them, swishing her tail from side to side, looking very upset. "Fine, I relieve you and the rest of the Pride from this duty. I'll teach Duni myself."

Chiku rolled her eyes and walked past her, looking very angry, "You just don't get it, do you? Blind lionesses cannot hunt! But if that's how you want it to be, fine, have a blast."

Adla watched her leave, hesitating whether to go after her or not, but Bahiya whispered, "Let her cool down. I'll talk to her, you tend to Duni in the meantime..."

Adla nodded. "Fine... Thanks."

Bahiya and Safi walked away in the direction that Chiku took, and Adla bent over Duni's body, nuzzling her again. She felt Duni's face was soaked in tears.

Adla swallowed with difficulty and sat next to Duni. "You'd been awake for long?"

Duni nodded slightly, feeling her head pounding with every beat of her heart. She tried to sit up straight, but stumbled slightly.

"Shh, s'okay, just lie down, take it easy. It was quite a knock on the head you got..." Adla said, inspecting Duni's forehead, which had now a bump that was swollen and bleeding. She cleaned the wound as carefully as she could.

"Hey... We're sorry for makin' fun of ya, we didn't know you couldn't see," one of the young monkeys exclaimed, feeling a bit guilty.

Duni looked up towards the source of the sound, sniffing intently, and finally realized that what she thought had been antelope calves, turned out to be monkey youngsters instead. She flopped her head on the grass again and groaned in pain.

"The Pride was right," Duni muttered, "I can't hunt... I had no idea what I was doing... I couldn't even tell a monkey up a tree from an antelope grazing in front of me..."

"Don't be so harsh on yourself, dear. It was stupid of Chiku and Bahiya to put you in this position. I have high hopes for you, but even I know that going after a herd and singling out targets without being able to see is just impossible. You will be able to hunt, trust me, just not in the usual way. You'll see, we'll put that awesome nose and those great ears of yours to good use."

Duni tried to stand up again, feeling weak to her knees, but she succeeded eventually.

"Let's go home, and don't worry about what happened today anymore."

Duni sighed and followed Adla slowly, without saying a word. She hated to have proven the lionesses right, but felt thankful to Adla for her support and for believing she was not completely useless.

* * *

Word spread quickly about Duni's unsuccessful lesson, and the lionesses wondered how Adla would deal with Duni's lessons from now on. But Adla always took Duni far away, to teach her in private, away from prying eyes and ears. Up until then, the Pride had no idea if Duni had made any progress at all, but when they asked Adla about it, she'd simply say, "she's not under your care anymore, don't worry about her."

It was until Faraji himself actually questioned Adla, that she spoke more openly about her lessons with Duni.

"So, how is she coping? Has she managed to pin something down?"

"Pin something down?" Adla said with a satisfied expression, "Duni's actually made her first kill already."

The Pride looked at her in disbelief.

"Is that so? Why hasn't she presented her catch to me?" Faraji asked, looking slightly displeased.

"You never believed in her, you can't blame her for not wanting to share her catch with any of you."

"That's unfair, she's been eating from what _we _hunt," Chiku muttered, to the agreement of most of the Pride.

Adla turned to the lionesses, "You mean the scraps you leave for her, her being bottom of the rank and all?"

The lionesses looked away, knowing very well that they had been intentionally pushing Duni aside. They had now realized what Faraji had seen since the beginning; Duni was of no use to their Pride, and had the lowest rank of them all. Duni's obedient and meek temper didn't help; she seldom stood up for herself.

"Anyway," Adla continued, "I think she's hunting right now, you can go check her out if you don't believe me."

"She's hunting? Without your supervision?" Faraji then stood up, looking very curious. "Stay here," he told the rest of the Pride, "I want to see this for myself."

Adla simply grinned to herself and lay down to lick her paws nonchalantly. Bahiya begged her to tell her more, but Adla only smiled and said, "You'll have to ask Faraji, when he returns."

The lion in the meantime had located Duni, who was sniffing the ground very carefully, and marking the area just as if she was patrolling the borders.

Faraji tilted his head as he stared at her peculiar behaviour from a distance. _What in the world is she doing?_

It eventually became clear to Faraji that Duni was tracing a perimeter for herself. She had also left marks around all the objects and plants she could crash into, and once she was done marking the area, the lioness went into a sprint, avoiding the obstacles successfully. Duni ran with her eye closed, guided simply by her nose, looking happy and carefree.

Once Duni had exercised her legs while getting rid of pent-up energy, she focused on the ground again, sometimes even pressing one of her ears down on the soil.

Faraji watched in amazement how Duni was able to find tunnels and lairs of several burrowing animals with extreme ease. Every now and then one of them would manage to escape and run past her paws. Duni would then give chase, stopping only once the animal had crossed the border Duni had marked for herself.

She only lost one or two critters; the rest were promptly killed and piled up nicely, and Faraji couldn't stop his mouth from watering. He decided to get closer, but tried to do it very quietly, testing how the lioness would react to someone sneaking up on her.

Duni eventually noticed someone coming, and looked up in Faraji's direction, scenting the air. She recognized Faraji's scent, although there was something slightly unfamiliar about it. Duni couldn't tell what it was.

"Why are you sneaking up on me, Faraji?" she asked, loud and clear for him to hear.

Faraji stopped sneaking and walked to her. "I see what Adla means now... She really found a way to ensure you'd survive if you had to fend for yourself. But what would you have done if I had been a leopard or a hyena trying to steal your meal or attack you?"

"I'd just leave the meal behind, follow my trail home, and hope they won't follow," Duni replied, smiling slightly.

Faraji chuckled and approached her catch, sniffing it carefully.

Duni pushed one of the gophers she had found towards him, invitingly.

Faraji immediately dug in, while Duni sniffed the animals she had hunted and picked up the one she found the tastiest. Both lions ate quietly, too engrossed in their meal to engage in conversation.

"Well done," Faraji said after he was done with his midday snack, "but you should have presented your catch to me sooner."

Duni nodded and looked away. "I'm sorry... I just thought you wouldn't want such small prey, compared to what the others have to offer you... I didn't want anyone to laugh at my efforts again."

Faraji looked at her intently. "I'm certainly not laughing. So I expect from now own you will follow the rules, and will share your catch with me and the Pride. Agreed?"

Duni nodded. "Would you like another one?" she asked meekly, trying to make up for all the times she hid food from him.

"No, thanks," Faraji replied, "I'm parched, I think I'll go have a drink now. See you around."

Duni stared in his direction, until she could not hear the sound of his paws anymore. She then continued to devour her meal, not worried anymore about the lionesses leaving little food for her.


	5. Lessons About Growing Up

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 5: Lessons About Growing Up**

The rainy season had finally arrived, renewing the grass and attracting new herds. The lions from the Eyasi Pride were well fed and didn't have to travel far to find a decent meal often.

Despite the fact that the huntresses hadn't failed to bring supper home in quite a while, Faraji had started to loose weight. He didn't think much of it, and would tell the lionesses off if they mentioned anything about it.

One evening, Faraji climbed up to his niche, where Adla was already resting and taking shelter from the rain.

"Where's Duni?" he asked as he lay down next to his mate.

"Taking a walk in the rain. She always hated swimming, but seems to enjoy water pouring on her, go figure."

Faraji nodded and grunted slightly. "Can you take a look at my back? I had to chase a rogue away earlier but I think he managed to scratch me."

Adla stood up and studied his back carefully. "Yeah, you're right, there's a bit of a gash, but it doesn't look too deep. Should heal in a couple of days, if you ask me."

She then proceeded to lick the wound clean, while Faraji winced every now and then.

Faraji stared ahead into the distance distracted, when he heard someone approaching. He scented the air and could tell it was one of his lionesses, who appeared to be in season.

Adla looked up and smiled when she saw Bahiya walking nearer.

"Hi, Faraji," she said a bit shyly, "I saw you were back from doing your rounds..."

Faraji looked at her and felt his heart sink. As much as he loved her, he felt exhausted and was absolutely not in the mood. Being with a lioness in season was a draining experience and right now he felt he just couldn't muster the energy to get up. Then again, he had pushed Bahiya away so many times, she would never forgive him if he were to send her away right now, when she needed his company the most.

Faraji finally stood up and glanced at Adla, who simply nodded at him and mouthed, "Have fun."

Bahiya grinned when she saw Adla winking at her, and walked away with Faraji, side by side.

Once they were alone, she asked him, "Aren't you excited? Our first night together..."

"Yes, yes," he said, trying to persuade himself in the process, "I'd only wish it was dry..."

Bahiya smiled and nuzzled him. "It doesn't matter, you'll warm up soon enough, hmm?" she said seductively.

"I probably will... Would you mind if I go for a drink first?"

Bahiya tilted her head. "Er... No, sure, go ahead. I'll just wait for you here, okay?"

Faraji nodded and went off to find a puddle of water where he could quench his thirst.

Bahiya couldn't help feeling that there was something wrong with him, he seemed distracted and not really into the spirit of their romantic night. She tried not to read much into his behaviour, after all, when in season, every little bad thing seemed a lot worse than it really was.

Faraji eventually returned, and they looked for a secluded place to spend some time together.

"This looks like a good place," Bahiya said, looking around. They were surrounded by some rocks that sheltered them from the wind, and would provide some privacy as well.

Faraji sat down and looked at Bahiya, waiting for her to take the initiative.

The lioness could hardly wait and did not waste any time in leading him on. It was clear to Faraji that she was more than ready to mate, and he tried his best to please her.

It was all over in a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to Faraji, and he flopped exhausted next to Bahiya's side after he was done.

The lioness looked a bit disappointed. She had expected more passion from him, since they had both been longing for this moment, but Faraji still seemed distant. He didn't even kiss her or bite her neck.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah... I just need a drink."

Bahiya raised an eyebrow. "Another one?"

Faraji nodded and walked away, in search of another puddle, looking desperate, as if he hadn't drunk any water in days.

Bahiya stood up and followed him. "We can move by the edge of the lake if you prefer, there you will have all the water you need," she said, sounding slightly annoyed. She became more upset when Faraji appeared not to have heard her.

"Okay, just what is going on? Not to be rude or anything, but you're killing the mood, Faraji!"

Faraji finally looked up, his eyes were dazed, as if he had trouble focusing. It was then when she realized that there was something really wrong with her beloved lion.

"Dear, please... Tell me what's wrong... Can I get you something?" she said, trying to remember when was the last time she had seen him eating. According to her, Faraji hadn't eaten anything since last night. "Would you like some food? Would that help?"

Faraji nodded, still looking dazed and confused.

"Wait here, I'll be right back..."

Bahiya darted off in search for something quick and easy to hunt, and ran across Duni, who was still enjoying her walk in the rain.

"I need your help," Bahiya blurted out, startling Duni for a second, "Faraji's acting really weird, I think it's because he hasn't eaten. Have you got any of your rodents lying around?"

Duni shook her head. "No, but give me a minute... Just warn me if I'm about to crash into something, okay?"

Bahiya nodded, and watched how Duni managed to trace a meerkat's tunnel. She located them by placing her ear to the ground, and began digging quickly. It was not long after that Duni returned with three dead meerkats dangling from her muzzle.

"Not sure if this will be enough, but I hope it helps..."

"Thanks, Duni, I really appreciate it," Bahiya said sincerely, and gave the blind lioness a quick nuzzle.

Duni hesitated for a moment, but she decided to follow Bahiya, just in case she might need extra rodents for Faraji.

Bahiya returned to the spot where Faraji was resting. He was sleeping soundly and the lioness had some trouble getting him to wake up.

"Please, wake up. I got some food for you..." she said, as she nuzzled him roughly.

Faraji eventually woke up, and at the sight of the dead meerkats displayed in front of him, he brightened up and started eating ravenously. It was not a big meal, but it gave him energy all the same. "Is there more?" he asked hungrily.

Bahiya shook her head and was about to reply, when she heard Duni clearing her throat. She had collected a couple of gophers on her way there, and she lay them on the ground for Faraji to eat.

Bahiya smiled at her, feeling bad for all the times she had been mean and indifferent to Duni in the past.

"Thank you again..." she whispered.

Duni grinned. "No problem, glad I could help, for a change..."

When Faraji was done eating, he looked like his usual self, though he still went for another drink.

"He's been drinking a lot lately, have you noticed?" Bahiya asked.

Duni shook her head. "No, but he does smell different to me... You think he might be sick?"

"No idea," Bahiya replied, "I thought, since he hadn't eaten since last night, that maybe he was just weak."

"We've gone without food for days before, that can't be it..."

Faraji returned at that point, still feeling a bit strange, but looking a lot better. He then realized the circumstances in which Bahiya had brought him here, and was determined to make up for his false start.

"Thanks for the food, Duni. Would you mind leaving us alone now? There's something important I need to discuss with Bahiya."

Duni nodded. "Sure, I'll meet you guys later," she said as she turned around and walked away.

Faraji waited a considerable amount of time for Duni to be out of earshot, and he turned to poor Bahiya, who appeared startled and confused.

This was not how she had imagined her night with Faraji, and was unsure what to expect of him now.

"Let me guess... You need another drink-" she asked, but was silenced when Faraji pulled her close by wrapping his paw around her back, and biting longingly into her neck.

"I'll say... What was in those gophers?" she asked, feeling immense pleasure at his sudden display of affection, and forgetting for a moment everything that had just happened before.

"I have no idea, but whatever it was, it has given me the energy I needed to make you very happy tonight..."

Faraji then redeemed himself in Bahiya's eyes, by making her feel the most loved and wanted lioness in the world.

Duni had to stop on her tracks for a short moment, when her above-average hearing still caught the sounds of two lions making passionate love far in the distance. She chuckled to herself and muttered, "So that's what Adla meant with that Talk she gave me the other day..."

Adla indeed had to take Duni for a long walk, to explain to her certain aspects about growing up. This was prompted by a playful wrestling match that Duni had had with Safi. In the process of tussling and turning, Duni had confirmed what Faraji had told her about male lions growing extra long hair, as the beginnings of a mane had already started to show on top of Safi's head. But there was also a certain difference in their anatomy that Duni had failed to notice, until that day.

Adla walked in on them, only to find Safi blushing and pushing Duni away. The young lion had already had the Talk with Faraji, and he found Duni's curiosity very awkward.

He appeared very relieved when he saw Adla approaching, and blurted out at her, "Help me out here! She's asking me all these... questions!" while Duni kept trying to find out more about her new discovery.

"Weird, how come I don't have one? What is it for then? C'mon, let me paw it..."

"No, leave it alone!" Safi exclaimed, making sure that Adla understood that he had not led Duni on in any way. "We were just playing and she sort of... noticed it, I swear!"

Adla couldn't hide a grin, and asked Safi to return to the Pride. She knew it was time to teach Duni new things about becoming an adult, and so she invited Duni on a long walk. Adla proceeded to explain to her the purpose of the male body part Duni had just discovered, and tried to answer all of Duni's questions on the matter.

By the time they returned from their walk, Duni located Safi and quietly apologized for making him feel uncomfortable.

"I know everything now," she whispered at him, "It's for making cubs! I'd have never guessed. Did you know already?"

Safi looked at her. The lioness was smiling to herself innocently. He had a feeling where this conversation was heading, and Safi decided to nip it in the bud.

"Yes, Faraji told me about it. But I'm too young to be thinking about cubs, and so are you. You shouldn't be thinking about that at all to begin with."

"What do you mean?" Duni said as she tilted her head.

"You wanna bring more blind cubs into the Pride? One's enough already."

Duni's smile faded. "You mean I shouldn't have any cubs at all? Would you refuse to help me, just cause they _might _turn out like me?"

"Yup," he replied, a bit too quickly, as if he had rehearsed this line many times before, "I think I'll just go find me a healthy lioness somewhere else, once they kick me out of the Pride."

Duni remained silent for a moment, but then just nodded and whispered, "Fair enough... I'll just ask Faraji for help then, when the time comes."

Duni walked away, trying to hide her disappointment, and Safi couldn't help feeling sorry for her. While he didn't have any romantic feelings for her, Safi wouldn't really mind helping her if she were to come to him for assistance, but Faraji had already discussed the possibility with him, and they both had agreed it was in the best interest of the Pride not to give in to her demands.

* * *

In the weeks to come, Faraji didn't feel as ill as that night he spent with Bahiya, but he was still very tired, thirsty and hungry. Adla had to remind him one time that the prey was meant for all the Pride and not for himself only, when he had left too little for his lionesses to eat.

Faraji himself was already aware that something was wrong with him. He had no idea what it was, but he started to fear that he might not have long to live, and for that reason, he started taking his son Erevu along with him to patrol their grounds, and teach him as much as he could, now that he still had the strength to do so.

Both lions would leave nice and early, and would return around midday. Faraji would immediately go to sleep, usually by the edge of the lake, close to the water.

Meanwhile, Bahiya started feeling queasy in the mornings, and she could just feel her body changing, as it started to make room for a cub. There was no doubt that she was carrying Faraji's son or daughter in her belly, and the thought filled her with immense happiness.

Adla had been very supportive, especially now that Bahiya was being nicer to Duni and trying to include her in the Pride's activities. Adla would often leave Faraji and Bahiya alone for long periods of time, so that they could share some quiet and private moments, in which Faraji would rest his head on Bahiya's tummy, and would try to listen and feel the cub moving inside her.

With all this talk about upcoming cubs, Duni couldn't help but daydream what it would be to have her own son or daughter some time. She imagined a friendly, obedient cub, willing to follow her everywhere and to learn to hunt the way she did. She would picture mutual grooming sessions and stories before nap time. Duni promised herself that she would love her future cubs, whether they were born healthy or not.

* * *

Bahiya's pregnancy went smoothly, and she went into labor right on time. The lioness bid farewell to the Pride and retreated to give birth at the place where she and Faraji had slept together.

The Pride anxiously awaited her return, while Faraji's health kept deteriorating. That wound on his back had not healed at all, despite Adla's good care in keeping it clean and parasite-free. But what bothered him the most, was that his eyesight had started to deteriorate too. Some days he could see normally, and others it was as if he was trying to see under water. He felt very desperate on those bad days, but tried not to show it, so that the Pride wouldn't notice. While he had felt added respect for Duni and the way she managed to get by, this feeling of despair only strengthened his belief of not wanting any offspring from her.

Bahiya finally returned after a few weeks, carrying a healthy cub in her muzzle. The Pride gathered round to welcome her back.

Faraji was having a good day and he could see the cub just fine. He nosed it gently, and found out it was a female. "What name have you chosen for her?" he asked, feeling proud.

"Her name will be Nura," Bahiya replied, smiling at her baby, "Do you like it?"

"Very much!" Faraji replied, and then he motioned Erevu to come closer.

The young lion approached the cub with some uncertainty, and peered down at it.

"Erevu, this is Nura. When she is of age, she will become your wife. When my time here is up, you two will then become the leaders of the Eyasi Pride. Let the lionesses be witness of this betrothal."

The Pride roared happily, while Erevu, as well as Adla and Bahiya, looked a bit apprehensive. The two lionesses had their own reasons to be against arranged marriages, but young Erevu was still on the stage where he thought females were gross and icky. The whole concept of having a wife was not something he had contemplated at all, but still, he kept quiet, not wanting to ruin his father's happy moment. Faraji looked very thrilled.

Once the commotion died down, Bahiya cleared her throat and invited Duni over, to get acquainted with the cub, in her own way.

Duni smiled and approached Nura carefully, placing a paw on her, as gentle as she could. It was until then that Duni realized how much she had grown in the meantime. Her own paw was almost as big as the cub's face, and when she bent to nuzzle Nura, she realized the cub was not bigger than her own head. Duni could not see herself growing, but she could certainly feel it now, comparing herself to this young, little lioness.

"Congratulations... She smells and feels lovely," Duni eventually told Bahiya, who chuckled in return.

"That she is, Duni. Now it's time for her to eat."

The Pride watched Nura nurse for a while, and the lionesses decided to go hunt something to celebrate her arrival. They needed to get something big, so that Faraji's voracious appetite lately wouldn't leave them with little to no food.

Adla nuzzled Faraji and whispered, "We're going hunting now, while you keep an eye on Bahiya. Gasira will stay behind to watch over Erevu, just in case you feel like spending some time alone with her and your daughter."

Faraji nodded and smiled warmly at her. He watched the huntresses leave, and then went to settle down next to Bahiya and Nura.

Erevu joined them for a short moment, still looking a bit distrustful at the new cub, but Gasira managed to persuade him and Safi to go with her for a walk.

"Let's leave the new parents alone for a moment, okay? I'll show you something cool, there's this new family of birds and they've made a really awesome nest..." Gasira said as she walked away, while both lions followed her quietly.

Duni took the hint, and decided to leave them alone as well. The lioness headed to her niche, still looking forward to the day when she would become a mother too.


	6. Bitter Rejection

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 6: Bitter Rejection**

Little Nura turned out to be everything Faraji could have expected in a future leader. The cub was healthy, smart, and a fast learner. She also had a very sweet personality, which made all the lionesses fawn over her, making Erevu feel a bit forgotten.

"Told you once, remember?" Safi told Duni, after Erevu had complained to them about the lack of attention lately, "The lionesses seem to forget all about the previous cubs, once a new one comes around."

Duni nodded, remembering how she also went through a similar stage. "Don't worry too much, Erevu. Besides, you're still Faraji's favorite. That should count for something, huh?"

"I guess..." Erevu mumbled. He then turned to the blind lioness and pulled a face, knowing she could not see him.

Safi cuffed the young lion softly. "Hey, be nice, you."

"Did he flip me off again?" Duni asked, nonplussed, while Erevu tried to stifle a laugh.

"Nah, he's just making faces."

Duni shook her head with a smile, and shrugged. "Well, if that actually cheers him up, be my guest."

"It's just so weird, not being able to see... I mean, try it, Safi. Close your eyes tight and just try to move around," Erevu replied, as he attempted it himself, losing his balance almost immediately.

Safi whispered in Duni's ear, but loud enough for Erevu to hear, "Now's your chance, Duni, pull a face at him!"

Duni reacted quickly and stuck her tongue out while crossing her eye and wrinkling her nose.

Erevu opened his eyes, only to find the two older lions laughing out loud.

"Too late, you just missed it! That was a hilarious face, Duni!"

"Har har, very funny," Erevu grunted.

"Now you know how Duni feels, so stop messing around with her. Deal?" Safi said, rubbing the young lion's head roughly with a paw.

Erevu snarled for a moment, and pushed Safi's paw away. "Yeah, whatever." He then walked away, sulking slightly.

Safi chuckled some more and let out a deep sigh. "Ah, he's always so moody, that one."

"I guess that's what all work and no play does to you. He spends most of the time learning from Faraji lately..." Duni replied, sounding thoughtful.

The lioness then stood up and stretched herself right in front of Safi.

The lion realized he just could not to take his eyes off her body as she did so. Duni was not as big and muscular as the rest of the lionesses, probably as a result of not being able to hunt the usual way, so she always remained a bit on the slim side. Even then, Safi thought that she could have been a very pretty lioness, if it weren't for the strange shape of her face and her missing eye.

"Hey... You all right? You went quiet all of a sudden," Duni asked him.

Safi seemed to awaken from his daydream and quickly replied, "Sure, sure. I was just spacing out a bit."

Duni shrugged and began grooming one of her paws, as Safi kept staring at her intently, wondering why he was so entranced by this activity, which he had witnessed already a thousand times before. He then realized that he was probably reaching adulthood. Faraji warned him that he would start seeing the lionesses in a different light. He hadn't understood what he meant back then, but it became clear to him now that something was happening to him that he hadn't experienced before.

Duni, having finished grooming herself, turned to him and asked, "Would you like me to groom your face and mane?"

"Yes," he answered in a split second, even though he was not sure this was actually a good idea.

Duni settled closer to him, and began licking his face and mane gently, clueless about the mixture of sensations going through Safi's body at this point. The lion was just happy that Duni could not see what sort of reaction her grooming was causing. He would have been quite embarrassed if that were the case.

Duni stopped licking for a moment and tilted her head. "Am I upsetting you somehow?"

Safi opened his eyes and focused on her face, restraining the urge to nip her on the shoulder. "No, not at all... What in the world gave you that impression?"

"It's your breathing; it became a lot faster than normal. Faraji always does that when he's upset."

Safi chuckled nervously as he felt the blood rushing to his face. "Er... No, don't pay attention to that. I just... I think I'll be going back to the lair now. How about you?"

Duni pondered for a moment. "Um, I think I'll stay here a bit longer, it's nice and cool under this shade..."

"Fine," Safi replied as he stood up and gave her a quick nuzzle, "I'll see you around, okay? Oh, and thanks for the grooming session."

"Sure, talk to you later..." Duni said, feeling puzzled by his reaction, as well as to why Safi's footsteps sounded as if he was actually walking in the opposite direction from the lair. She sighed as she lay down on her belly, still wondering what she had done wrong.

Safi indeed had no intention of going back to the lair, not in that state at least. Instead, he looked for a secluded place, where he could be on his own for a moment.

Once Safi had finally calmed down and regained his composure, he wondered if he would be able to stick to the promise he made to Faraji, if Duni were to ask for his assistance in the future.

It all had seemed like a more feasible task back then, when he was still not interested in the lionesses. But Safi knew now that it would all be a lot more difficult than he had expected. If Duni had actually asked him for help just a few moments ago, he wouldn't have hesitated at all, and would have gladly accepted her request.

_And she's not even in season yet! How much worse can it get?_ he thought.

Safi started daydreaming again, but he shook his head as he repeated to himself, "Think about the cubs... The Eyasi Pride doesn't need more blind cubs, neither does my own Pride, if I have to leave this place... I have to say no, I have to say no..."

Safi eventually returned to the lair, and sighed in relief when he found out that Duni was already back and asleep in her niche.

* * *

A few weeks went by, and Duni could clearly tell that Safi was still avoiding her. She tried confronting him once, but he just told her that he was busy with his hunting lessons, and would come home tired and not in the mood to socialize much.

Duni knew there was more to Safi's attitude than that, but she eventually gave up and stopped questioning him. It was not the first time that they had a little fight of some sort, but in the end they always made up. She decided to give him time to cool down.

One morning, Duni woke up feeling very restless. She turned around a few times and tried to find a comfortable position, but she just couldn't fall back asleep. Instead, she decided to go for a drink. She could tell it was still very early in the morning, because the air smelled very moist, and whenever she brushed a plant or bush, the dew drops would cling to her fur and her whiskers.

As she made her way to the lake, she could hear somebody was already there, lapping at the water noisily. Duni sniffed the ground and the air around her, and quickly determined that it was Faraji. Scenting no other animals or predators nearby, Duni approached him.

"Good morning," she greeted him, "Did you have trouble falling asleep too?"

Faraji turned to her and sighed. "Yes, I keep waking up with the need to... go, and then there's the need to come here to drink."

Duni nodded. "I've noticed, I hear you getting up often at night... Are you feeling well, Faraji?"

"I'm feeling fine, thank you," he replied curtly, "I just need more water than the rest of you, so it seems."

Duni didn't push the matter any further, and bent over to drink. As she did so, Faraji glanced at her, realizing her scent had changed slightly overnight. Duni would be coming on to him soon, he just knew it. The lion was sure he would not have any problems saying no to her. He had given in to Bahiya's request because of what she meant to him, but ever since he started feeling ill, Faraji felt no interest at all in mating. He could only hope that Safi would also be strong enough to say no.

Faraji was about to walk away, when Duni asked him, "Are you going back already?"

"Yes, did you need anything?" he asked tentatively.

Duni tilted her head slightly. "Er... No, not really. Just thought some company would be nice," she replied, unsure as to why she didn't want to be left alone.

"I'm sorry, I told Adla I wouldn't take long. I don't want her to worry," he lied, "Also, I forgot to tell you, I spotted some leopards by the borders, so don't stray too far from the lair, okay? They didn't look like a friendly bunch."

Duni nodded, unaware that Faraji was only making this up to prevent her from accidentally meeting a rogue, who would certainly take advantage of her situation.

"Fine... Bye then," she said, sounding slightly disappointed.

For a while she simply stared down at the water, almost as if she was looking at her own reflection. She got up eventually, and paced to and fro, feeling suddenly angry at Faraji for leaving. She even slapped the grass with one of her paws, claws extended. She then started sniffing the ground in search for a nearby log. Duni had tripped over it countless times as a cub, but she had finally learned its position, thanks to the marks she had left around the area.

Once she located the log, she started sharpening her nails on it, but then couldn't resist the urge to head-butt it. She kept rubbing her head against the log for what seemed like hours, and it was then when she realized that she was not being her normal self. She was craving physical contact, and this log was just a poor replacement for what she was looking for.

Duni's eye opened wide in surprise as she remembered her talk with Adla, where she described something like this would happen to her when the time to procreate would come. Could it be that she was finally ready to have cubs? The thought filled her with tremendous happiness, but since she was not completely sure, she decided to wait just a bit longer, before going on the lookout for one of the Pride's males.

She tried to calm herself, and instead focused her thoughts on who she would ask for assistance. The rules dictated that Faraji had priority over Safi, but she liked Safi a lot more. It was a tough choice. Erevu was too young, so he was out of the question.

By noon, Duni couldn't stand the loneliness anymore. Her urges were so strong, that she went back to the lair, determined to ask out whoever lion she encountered first; it didn't matter to her anymore.

"Where's Faraji?" she asked the lionesses that had stayed behind in cub-duty, while the rest of the Pride had already left to go hunting.

"He's gone with Erevu on patrol," Damisi answered, raising an eyebrow slightly, "You feeling okay, hon?"

"Yeah, yeah... Where's Safi then?" she asked again, with more urgency this time.

"He's sleeping by the trees..." Faiza replied.

Duni turned around and left without another word, while the lionesses exchanged a confused glance, and then burst out in giggles.

"Good luck, girl, you're gonna need it to persuade those two," Faiza muttered, and went back to grooming Nura, which was what she was doing before Duni barged in.

Safi would have certainly run away if he had seen Duni approaching him with such a determined look on her face, but the lion was fast asleep and didn't hear her coming.

"Please, wake up," Duni said, nuzzling him with more force than usual.

Safi woke up with a start. "Huh? What? What is it?"

His heart sank when he saw Duni standing over him. _Oh no... Please don't be in season..._ he thought as he scented her discretely, and confirmed that the time to be strong had finally come.

The lioness in the meantime kept pawing at him and urging him to get up.

"Look... Duni, not here, everyone's watching us... Just follow me, okay? We'll go somewhere quiet..."

Duni nodded, and walked behind him, longing to be as close to him as possible. She felt like she couldn't control herself, and she was hoping that Safi wouldn't either.

When Safi finally reached a spot far away from the Pride's curious eyes, he turned to Duni, who was staring in his direction expectantly.

"Duni, listen... I thought I had made myself clear to you. Please don't do this. You're only making things difficult on yourself."

"But that was a long time ago... Surely now that you're an adult, you must feel different now!"

"No, I don't," Safi said, trying to sound firm, while hating himself for breaking her heart, "I still don't want cubs that might end up blind."

Duni remained silent for a moment, but to Safi's disappointment, she wouldn't give up so easily this time. He had never seen her so determined.

"Please, Safi... I promise you, no matter what happens, I won't burden you with my cubs. I'll be responsible for them and you'll be free to do as you wish... You can go away later and find a pretty, healthy lioness somewhere... But right now, I need your help..."

Safi swallowed with difficulty, as her scent was not making things easy on him either. It was very enticing and he wanted nothing more than to get closer to her. "Please, Duni... Stop this."

Duni took a step closer towards the sound of his voice, but he took a step back. It was then when Duni finally burst into tears.

"I thought we were friends..."

"And we are, but I had warned you already, Duni, we cannot go through with this."

"Will you at least hold me close then?" she asked him between sobs, sounding a bit desperate.

_I guess a hug and a nuzzle can't hurt..._Safi pondered nervously. He let out a deep sigh, finally closed the gap between them and wrapped a paw around Duni's back, pulling her close to him.

Duni buried her face in the dark mane that had started growing around his face, which quickly became moist with her tears.

They stayed in that position for quite a long time, while Safi caressed her forehead with his tongue every now and then, and would whisper to her that it would all be all right, that this feeling would eventually pass.

Duni finally calmed down, and just enjoyed being close to him, but there was still a longing that just one hug could not fulfill.

Safi was already feeling proud of himself, since he had managed to be strong and say no, not knowing that the worst was still to come.

Duni, already aware that tears wouldn't work on him, decided to try a different approach. She slowly released their embrace and sat down a few steps further to groom her face and dry her tears.

Safi stayed put, while he made a point of trying not to look at her.

The lioness in the meantime, paid close attention to his breathing. Safi sounded relaxed, if a bit nervous. She then stood up, stretched herself and shook the dust and grass off her pelt. Duni could hear Safi swallowing, and she tried to conceal a smile.

Duni walked back to him and rubbed her body full length against his, while flicking the tip of her tail on his nose playfully.

Safi's heart began racing, much to Duni's satisfaction.

"It's not going to work," Safi stammered, sounding not so sure of himself anymore, "If you keep this up, I'll just leave, you hear? I'm warning you."

But Duni didn't reply, she continued to pace to and fro in front of him, sometimes nuzzling him under the chin, driving him crazy with desire.

"Duni... C'mon, cut it out. I'm leaving, I mean it!"

"How about just one tiny, little bite behind my neck or my shoulder?" she asked, finally crouching down in front of him invitingly. The lioness couldn't give him a clearer sign of what she was expecting from him.

Safi cursed softly under his breath. Seeing Duni lying in that position was just too much for him to handle. He could feel his legs trembling in anticipation as he took a couple of steps towards her.

Just when Safi thought he was not going to be able to resist helping her out, Duni turned her head, as if to look over her left shoulder, with the pupil of her eye in its permanently dilated state staring back at him. It reminded Safi of what was at stake.

"No! I'm sorry!" he finally said, more firmly this time. He jumped aside, away from Duni and ran off, leaving the lioness alone without another word.

Duni flicked her ears and stood up quickly. "Safi? Hello? Are you there? This isn't funny!" she called out loud, sniffing around in case he was still there and just playing a nasty joke on her, but after a couple of minutes in total silence, she realized that he had really left her.

The poor lioness had no better luck with Faraji, once he returned from doing his rounds. He denied her request for the same reasons Safi had done. Duni then tried to seduce him in a similar fashion, but the lion was exhausted, as usual. To add insult to injury, despite her enticing demeanour, Faraji actually fell asleep while she was still parading herself in front of him.

Later in the day, Adla and the hunting party returned from a successful hunt, and she wondered where Duni was. Damisi and Faiza explained that Duni was probably with Safi, but when Adla found Safi all on his own, she got worried. Eventually, Adla found Duni, who was crying by the lake.

"Hey... What's wrong, dear?" she whispered, and sat down next to Duni.

Duni dried her tears quickly with a paw. "Nothing... S'just... Both Safi and Faraji refused to mate with me. They both fear I'll give them unhealthy cubs. I feel so worthless..."

Adla sighed and tried to give her a nuzzle, but Duni turned away.

Adla understood and didn't push Duni further. "Would you like to talk about this, or should I just let you be?"

"How long is this horrible feeling going to last?" Duni asked her between sobs.

"You'll be back to normal in a couple of days, don't worry. Come with me, I'll take you to a place where you won't be disturbed, and where you can cry, laugh, growl or snarl at you heart's content," Adla replied, knowing very well that Faraji came to the lake often, and if Duni stayed there, she would only end up being rejected again.

Duni stood up and followed Adla quietly for a while. Eventually she dared to ask, "Has anyone ever rejected you like this?"

Adla didn't reply right away, which made Duni wonder if she had a secret of some sort.

"We're here," Adla said, "There's a log to your left, if you feel like rubbing against something, and further back there is a small puddle you can drink from. Just stay around here and I'll come pick you up in a couple of days. Deal?"

Duni nodded, as she inspected the area and proceeded to place marks right away.

Adla eyed her and whispered, "As for your question... Yes, I know what a lonely season feels like. You see, we were born into a Pride where the male lions pay a lot of attention to the traditions. This means that the lion that I was really in love with refused to even place a paw on me, because I had been betrothed to Faraji since birth."

Duni sat down closer to Adla, listening intently. "Didn't you go to Faraji for assistance then?"

"Oh, no. No way," came Adla's swift reply, sounding almost grossed out, "I decided to be rebellious and I hid from him the fact that I was in season. So I came here, to this very spot, and spent day and night pretending that the log over there was my beloved lion instead."

Duni couldn't help but feel sad for Adla, but she was a bit glad that they could relate in some way. Duni had always imagined that Adla was the kind of lioness that would always get what she wanted, but it was good to hear that even the leader herself had it difficult too sometimes.

"What happened to the lion you loved?"

"The usual," Adla replied, rolling her eyes, "he left to find a Pride on his own. Last time I saw him, he had a wife, three huntresses and two cubs. I was very sad when I saw how quickly he had moved on, that's when I finally decided to take my position in the Pride and eventually became Faraji's wife."

"So... You don't love him?" Duni ventured to ask.

Adla shrugged. "Not the way I loved Hadithi, but he's okay with that. As long as we're both doing a good role as leaders of the Pride, Faraji is happy."

Duni tilted her head. "What about Faraji, is he in love with someone else?"

Adla chuckled and stood up. "That secret belongs to him, it's not up to me to tell you about that."

Duni smiled slightly, wondering who Faraji could love more than Adla.

"Anyway, I'll be heading back now. I'll come to pick you up in a few days, sweetie."

Duni nuzzled Adla and thanked her for her help. Once she was left alone, she went to locate the nearby log, and snuggled up against it, imagining that it was actually Safi lying next to her, protecting her and keeping her warm.


	7. Leader in Training

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 7: Leader in Training**

Even though several weeks had gone by since Duni had requested Faraji and Safi's assistance, it was clear to both lions that Duni still had not forgiven them for letting her down when she needed them most. Usually quick to initiate conversation, Duni would remain quiet and would answer their questions in a curtly manner.

Duni also kept her distance from the lionesses, after Chiku and Damisi brought the issue up one morning.

"You have to think logically," Chiku told her, after seeing that Duni was still sulking about the incident, "even if your cubs don't turn out to be blind, you couldn't possibly take care of them in your state. Cubs are a lot of work, and just like hunting, I'm afraid it's a task you're not cut out for."

"If you have cubs, you'll be basically dumping them on us to be taken care of," Damisi chimed in, "Now, one thing is being on cub-duty, and another one is having to raise someone else's cub. Unless one of us actually agrees first to be the surrogate mother, I think you should really be less selfish and think twice about asking the males for assistance in the future."

The whole ordeal, as well as the lionesses' blunt judgment, had taken a huge blow at Duni's self-esteem, and the lioness spent most of her time lying down and sleeping. She felt it didn't make a difference to the Pride whether she was awake or not. Sometimes she couldn't even be bothered with searching food, and she started losing weight.

Adla and Bahiya were the only ones who kept trying to comfort her and to cheer her up. Adla would often bring her some meat to eat, and would groom her, since Duni had also stopped grooming herself.

One night, already way past midnight, Adla was still busy cleaning behind Duni's ears and neck, while keeping her company. Adla looked up for a moment when she heard someone approaching. It was Safi, who was carrying a zebra haunch in his muzzle.

Adla gave Safi a small smile. "There's someone here to see you," she whispered in Duni's ear.

Duni didn't even bother lifting her head. "Go away, Safi."

Adla stood up. "Just listen to what he has to say, can't hurt, hmm? I'll be at the lair if you need anything."

Duni let out a deep sigh and curled into a ball.

Adla whispered "Good luck!" at Safi as she walked away, and the lion approached Duni, still feeling guilty for what had happened.

Safi placed the meat on the ground next to her. "Hey... I had my First Hunt today, did you know? I managed to catch a zebra. Here, I even brought a little something to share with you... I thought we could... celebrate together or something..." he said, and pushed his catch closer to her with his nose.

Duni simply remained silent, ignoring him and the food.

"C'mon... You can't stay angry at me forever... You know that I will be leaving soon, and I want to part in friendly terms."

The lioness simply let out a deep sigh, but still did not move or react to his peace offering.

Safi tried again, while Duni wished she was deaf for a change, so that she could shut him out. However, between Safi's words, Duni thought she heard something else. The lioness pricked her ears and tried to listen better, while ignoring Safi's monologue.

"...So I really mean it when I say that it was not my intention to-" Safi went on, but interrupted himself when Duni raised her head unexpectedly, looking alarmed.

"Er... Are you okay?"

"Shh!" she hissed, and pricked her ears once more, trying to locate the source. She stood up as she walked in circles, while Safi simply looked at her expectantly.

"Is it a predator?" he whispered as low as he could.

"No... I think it's Faraji... He doesn't sound all right."

Safi walked to Duni and gave her an encouraging nuzzle. "I can't hear him... Can you guide me? I'll warn you if there are any obstacles along the way."

Duni hesitated for a moment. One part of her felt she shouldn't care if Faraji was in trouble, but the other part could simply not ignore the fact that something was wrong with him. She finally made up her mind and started tracing his location.

As they searched for him, Duni eventually picked up Faraji's unusual scent.

"Straight ahead," Duni told Safi, "Come on, hurry! You run ahead and I follow your trail so I won't trip with something."

Safi nodded in agreement and broke into a sprint, not too fast so that Duni could keep up. They finally reached a clearing, where they found Faraji, mumbling to himself in a slurred speech, while his legs appeared not to be supporting his own weight anymore. He eventually knelt on the ground, only to flop on his side a few seconds later.

"You were right, something's wrong with him," Safi told Duni, sounding a bit shocked, "You stay here, I will go alert the lionesses!"

Duni nodded, and approached Faraji, who was still mumbling incomprehensibly and didn't seem to realize Duni was there. He started having short convulsions at some point; his limbs shook without any control.

The lioness did some quick thinking and immediately started searching for food, just like Bahiya had done months ago. She searched frantically, and in her anxiety, she kept losing her prey. There had been no time to trace herself a perimeter, so she didn't dare to run after the rodents. She kept trying though, while reassuring Faraji and telling him it would all be all right.

Eventually, she managed to collect three small rats that she deposited in front of Faraji's muzzle. However, the lion was not reacting to the food at all, he simply lay there, breathing slowly.

"Please," Duni said nuzzling him gently, "Try and eat these, you'll feel better, like last time, remember?"

But Faraji was not responding anymore. He had also stopped mumbling and his breathing became more and more irregular.

It was then when Safi and the rest of the Pride came running towards them.

Bahiya looked at the lion apprehensively. She knew he tended to feel worse whenever he didn't eat, and she tried to remember whether she had seen Faraji eating anything at all. It was then when she realized that he had missed his meal, since Etana had notified him of a leopard that was poaching nearby, and Faraji had left to deal with him. The lion had returned unscathed, but went straight to the lake, as usual.

Bahiya then noticed the dead rats nearby, and glanced at Duni's bloodied paws and muzzle. Bahiya understood then that Duni had done her best to help him, and her eyes filled up with tears, while feeling immense gratitude towards her.

"Faraji? Can you hear me?" Adla said as she nuzzled his head gently. Seeing no response from him, Adla motioned Bahiya to come over.

Bahiya leaned over and licked Faraji's cheek. "Please... Please, you have to wake up, you can't leave me," she whispered in his ear for only him to hear.

Faraji remained completely unresponsive, and the lionesses could tell that the end was near. He would inhale heavily, and then stop breathing, for longer intervals every time.

"Here... Eat these rats!" Bahiya yelled, sounding desperate, trying to force one into his muzzle, but it was no use. His energy depleted, Faraji finally exhaled his last breath. The lionesses kept staring at his chest, waiting for it to raise again, but they waited in vain.

The Pride lowered their heads and whispered a hushed farewell to their fallen leader.

Bahiya burst into tears and threw herself on top of him, giving away her true feelings for Faraji, but the lionesses didn't say anything. They simply nuzzled one another, trying to comfort each other.

Adla sighed deeply and walked towards Duni, who appeared shocked and confused as to what was going on.

Duni jumped startled when she felt Adla nuzzling her. "Faraji has passed away, dear. Safi tells me it was you who heard him first..." Adla said, for all the Pride to hear, "I know you were having a very difficult time, so I want to thank you for putting that aside, and coming here to help him."

Duni nodded silently, and approached the body of Faraji with a bit of caution. Bahiya stepped aside, so that Duni could also say her last goodbye.

Duni pawed his face gently, once again realizing how much bigger she had gotten over the years. His nose, which had seemed huge back when she was still a cub, didn't feel all that big anymore. She also realized that there was not much left of that brawny, big lion she had once pawed as a cub. Faraji had lost so much weight that she could feel his bones clearly.

Duni finally nuzzled him and whispered farewell, forgetting for a moment everything about how mad she had been with him earlier. She now understood that he had been indeed very sick, and decided to cut him some slack, and made peace with him.

The Pride mourned silently for a long time, but Adla finally encouraged everyone to return to the lair.

"Let's go back... We still have to break the news to Erevu and Nura."

The lionesses nodded and one by one they returned to the lair, while Bahiya lagged behind. Adla simply nodded at her, and left Bahiya alone with Faraji, so that she could say farewell to him in private.

As they made their way back home, Adla caught up with Safi and whispered, "I know you were planning to leave soon, but given the circumstances... You know Erevu is still young and not able to defend the Pride properly yet. He wouldn't stand a chance if a rogue tried to invade while we're out hunting. Would you mind sticking around with us a little bit longer?"

Safi nodded. "It's not a problem. You know I wasn't really looking forward to leaving anyway..."

Adla smiled and gave him a gentle nuzzle, and then turned to Duni, who was following the Pride at considerable distance. She waited for her, and then walked side by side.

"I'm afraid it's going to be very lonely for me, without you and Faraji at the niche... Please say you'll keep me company tonight..." Adla requested. Ever since Faraji's rejection, Duni had not spent the night with them at the lair.

"Yes, of course I will," Duni replied without hesitation. Adla needed her now, and Duni knew she had to be strong for her.

Adla was the one who finally broke the news to Erevu and Nura, once they were back at the lair. The poor lion felt an incredible weight on his shoulders all of a sudden, as he knew he was not ready to lead a Pride, not by a long shot.

The lionesses promised to be supportive, and to help him along the way as much as they could.

Safi also reassured them, letting everyone know that he would stay longer, until Erevu was ready to fully take over the Pride.

Erevu eventually excused himself and looked for a secluded place, where he could let his tears flow without fear of being perceived as weak. He couldn't believe that Faraji was gone. Just the morning before they still had gone on patrol together like usual. He still had a lot of things to learn, but Faraji had always been very positive and reassuring. In his eyes, Erevu had all the potential to be a great leader, and he never failed to tell him every day, "I know you're going to make me proud one day, son."

Erevu had kept his composure as he reminisced about his father, but it was when the sun finally rose that the lion burst into tears. He would have to start his rounds soon, only this time, he would have to do it on his own.

* * *

Not one day went by without Faraji being remembered one way or another. The lionesses spoke of him fondly, and Erevu tried his best to follow in his footsteps. While he was still young and inexperienced, Erevu had benefited from the extra time that Faraji had dedicated to him. He agreed with his father's method of ruling, and this meant little change for the lionesses and their routine.

It still took several weeks before Duni started talking to Safi again. They finally agreed not to talk about what happened the day of their fight, and instead concentrated on helping Erevu and Nura out.

The little lioness had expressed interest in Duni's hunting method one day, and Duni was more than glad to teach her. After months of feeling worthless, this was a very much welcome activity for her, something that made her feel wanted and useful.

It all seemed to be looking bright for Duni, until she came into season again. This time, she didn't bother asking Safi for help. Instead, she went to the same secluded spot Adla had shown her, and spared herself the disappointment and humiliation. She assumed that Erevu would follow the same line of thought as his father and sibling, but since the lion was still too young, she didn't bother going to him either. She had started to believe that this was her destiny and that she would remain cubless for good.

As months passed, Erevu and Safi had done a good job in keeping the Pride protected, although the young leader had not expressed any desire in forming a coalition with him. Safi realized that his time in the Eyasi Pride was running out again, once Erevu started showing certain interest in the lionesses. As the only other male lion in the Pride, Erevu, full of questions, turned to Safi for answers.

"Let me get this straight... I actually have to _wait_ for the lionesses to be in season, and come to me? What if I feel like doing it right there and then? As leader of the Pride, can't I just ask one out?"

Safi let out a chuckle. "The lionesses will be willing to do your bidding, but not when it comes to this. If you try to force them, you'll just get a good ol' slap on the cheek, claws extended."

Erevu looked away, thoughtful. "How will I know when they're in the mood?"

"Trust me, buddy, you'll know. You can see it in the way they look at you, how they walk, and even how they smell. It's hard not to miss it. But you will have to wait until you've grown some more, and even a bit longer than that, before they actually come to you."

Erevu glanced at the lionesses, who were lounging not far away from them. "Huh? Even longer? Why is that?"

"It's because of Nura. She will become your wife, but right now she's still too young. So the lionesses will not request mating from you, until Nura is of age and you two have sealed your engagement first."

"What?" Erevu exclaimed, looking disappointed, "Man! Nura hasn't even officially started her hunting lessons! Will I have to wait _that _long?"

Safi let out a loud laugh and lay down on his back, looking relaxed. "Quit whining. Once you marry Nura, they'll be all over you like bees over honey."

Erevu glanced at Safi, whose dark mane was almost fully grown. "You're an adult already... How come they don't ask you?"

"You're the Leader, not me. Besides, they know I will leave someday."

"So you never... did it?" Erevu inquired with curiosity.

Safi shook his head. "I was very close, once, but no. Duni came to me but-"

"Eww, Duni? Yuck! No wonder you didn't go through with it..." Erevu interrupted.

Safi looked at him and frowned. He sat up straight and cuffed Erevu slightly. "Hey, she's really sweet, you know."

"But ugly as a hyena!" Erevu replied, laughing as he avoided another slap from Safi.

Safi sighed. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you don't like her. Your father was of the idea that she could bring more blind cubs into the Pride, and he wanted to avoid that. He asked me to say no to her if she were to request my assistance, and I am sure he would have asked you the same thing."

"Man, he didn't have to ask! I'm not getting close to Duni for _that_, even if she were the last lioness around. Just the thought of it makes me sick already."

Safi appeared bothered by Erevu's comments and he decided to leave. "We'll see if you can walk the walk the same way you talk the talk, once she asks you for help. Anyway, I'm going for a drink, see you later."

"Whoa, don't get all defensive. What, did I insult your _girlfriend_?" Erevu taunted.

Safi simply walked away, ignoring Erevu's childish behaviour. After all, the lion was going through adolescence and they would all go through a similar phase in which they would act very rude and annoying.

Safi himself had been very mean to Duni during that stage, but he found out that he felt very differently towards her now. He thought back to those days, in which Duni never failed to greet him with a grin, even when he had been a total jerk to her the day before.

He knew better now, and he was not afraid to admit that he actually enjoyed spending time with Duni. She could make him laugh, and she also was an excellent groomer. All those years practicing with the other lionesses had certainly paid off. Safi was still not sure that what he felt for Duni was actually love, but he would often experience a strong desire to protect her, and make sure she was getting by. As such, whenever Erevu would start dissing her, he'd walk away.

Duni had failed to notice Safi's increased interest in her; she had been pushed aside and hurt often enough, that she didn't even dare to think about him as a potential mate. She liked to daydream, but that was all it was, dreams. But if Duni had been able to see the way Safi looked at her sometimes, she would surely have had seconds thoughts about his feelings towards her. However, the lioness remained unaware, and Safi, still thinking about Faraji's concerns, and the well being of the Pride, didn't bring it up.


	8. Unexpected Company

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 8: Unexpected Company**

Much to Erevu's disappointment, Safi had been right about the lionesses looking for solitude instead of going to him for assistance during their season. When Etana decided to disappear for a few days, he even tried to find her, to see if he could persuade her to accept his help, but the lionesses' hiding spots were carefully chosen, and he never found out where they all went to hide from him.

In the meantime, Nura was making a lot of progress with her lessons, and was almost ready to take her Hunting Test. If she passed, she would then be allowed to go on her First Hunt. However, the lioness still had not reached adulthood yet, and thus was not ready to be wedded.

The Eyasi Pride was also facing some problems due to a recent drought. Food was scarce, and sometimes they could go without a meal for a couple of days. Duni did her best to catch as many rodents as she could, with Nura's help, but it was not enough to keep everyone well fed and satisfied, so the lionesses were even less inclined to think about bringing cubs into the world and complicate matters for everyone.

The Pride had gathered near the lair one afternoon, to get some rest. The lionesses had been out hunting all morning, and managed to bring back a gazelle for lunch. With their tummies full for now, they were all longing for a well-deserved nap.

Duni, as usual, groomed and tended to the tired huntresses, until they all had fallen asleep. Duni then sniffed around, wondering if Erevu and Safi were nearby, but she could not smell them or hear them. She let out a loud sigh and tried to join the rest of the lionesses in their nap, but she just tossed and turned, feeling restless, longing for someone to groom her instead.

The lioness immediately recognized the symptoms and stood up quickly. She located Adla, and whispered softly in her ear, "Adla... I'll be going away for a few days... You know where."

Adla opened one eye and looked at her sleepily. "Oh... That time again? Sure, sweetie... Be strong."

Duni gave her a quick lick on the cheek. Before she could even begin to think about asking the male lions for help, Duni quickly set off in the direction of her secret hideout. It had been a while since she had been there, at least three full moons that she could remember, so the marks she had placed for herself were extremely faint. She knew that if it were to rain unexpectedly, she would have problems detecting these worn-out marks, so she decided to renew them, not wanting to risk getting lost.

The lioness finally reached the familiar spot where she had spent some lonely nights on her own. She sniffed around to make sure there were no other animals or predators nearby, but besides a bird or two, Duni was all by herself. She cuddled next to the log and waited for the worst to come.

* * *

Safi and Erevu were making their way home after chasing away two cheetahs that had gotten too close to their lair.

"Good catch on spotting their pawprints," Safi said, "I bet they were going to try and steal the remains of our gazelle as soon as the Pride went to sleep."

Erevu grinned, looking proud of himself. "Father always taught me to keep an eye on that sort of thing. He said I have to get to know my surroundings extremely well, so that I could recognize as soon as something looked out of place. That's how I noticed someone had been trampling the grass, and how I found their pawprints."

Safi listened intently as Erevu shared more of Faraji's wisdom with him. He would have loved to be able to participate on those lessons instead of the hunting ones that he got from the lionesses, so he kept asking questions, and Erevu, enjoying seeing this older lion so interested in what he had to say, was happy to answer.

As they got closer to the lair, Safi stopped on his tracks to sniff a nearby bush. He then scented the air around him and couldn't suppress a sigh.

"What? What is it? Another intruder?" Erevu asked, walking to where Safi was, and he too started sniffing around.

Safi did not respond, but Erevu let out a triumphant laugh as he realized one of the lionesses was in season.

"Oh, I'm going to find her this time, and I'll make sure she doesn't feel lonely," he told Safi while giving him a big wink. "I wonder, who could it be?" Erevu added, looking around as he tried to locate the lionesses in the distance and determine who was missing.

"Don't bother," Safi replied, looking serious, "that mark belongs to Duni."

"Really? Damn, just my luck," Erevu replied, looking visibly disappointed.

Safi smirked. "Looks like you'll have to keep on waiting for Nura instead."

Erevu grunted. "I warn you, Safi. Nura will _not _survive the wedding night if I don't get some action soon, darn it..."

Safi couldn't help but smile as he recalled when he went through that stage as well. "Don't rush it, your time will come. Anyway, I'm going to take a nap with the rest of the gang now. Are you coming?"

"I'll pop by the lake first, I'll see you later."

Safi nodded and walked towards the lair, trying to suppress the urge to run off and go find Duni himself.

Erevu in the meantime made his way to the lake and quenched his thirst. The lion appeared very thoughtful. While he had no desire at all to mate with what he considered the ugliest lioness in the Savannah, he still wanted to get close to Duni, just to see how she'd react to his presence. He wondered if she would shower him with attention, or if she would beg for his help. That thought brought a little, evil grin to his face. It would be a fun thing to witness, a lioness begging for his love, and him playing hard to get.

Unaware that Duni's current state would also strongly affect his own behaviour, Erevu's curiosity eventually got the best of him, and he finally decided to look for her hideout, just to tease her a bit.

As Erevu made his way back from the lake, he kept looking over his shoulder, making sure he was not being followed. He stopped by the same bush Safi had been sniffing earlier, and studied Duni's scent mark carefully. Erevu knew that this lioness in particular would leave marks all over the place wherever she went, so as not to get lost.

"I wonder if she's done the same today..." he muttered to himself, and started sniffing the area, until he found another recent mark.

"Aha... Gotcha!" he exclaimed, and started following the trail that Duni had marked for herself earlier that day.

* * *

Duni was pacing in circles restlessly, in the hopes of wearing herself out and getting some decent sleep. She'd often stop to rub full length against the log, enjoying the contact. She would then start walking circles again. The lioness kept repeating the same motions over and over, unaware that she was being watched.

Erevu had been quite good at stalking, and he had managed to make his way up to Duni's hideout without a sound. He had been peering at her from behind a thicket of bushes, slightly amused at her unusual behaviour. While he had been searching for her, Erevu had already planned about a dozen tricks he could play on Duni, however, he found himself too entranced by her scent. He forgot all about the pranks, wanting nothing more than to get closer to her.

For a short moment, Erevu realized that perhaps it would be better for him to just go back to the lair, but by then Duni took a break from her pacing, and started grooming herself. Erevu found that he could not take his eyes off her, and he just sat there, watching her for a long time, while the needs of his body began to impair his judgment.

_Screw the rules, screw waiting. I'm going in, _he thought impulsively. Erevu finally crossed the thicket with no delicacy at all, making a tremendous amount of noise as leaves and twigs were forcefully pushed aside in his haste to reach Duni.

The lioness jumped to her feet, looking startled. She turned towards the source of the noise and adopted an aggressive stance. "Who's there?" she snarled, while her nostrils widened as she tried to identify the intruder.

Erevu walked up to her so that she could smell him.

"Oh..." Duni said, her ears drooping slightly. "You... You shouldn't be here..."

"I know," he muttered, "I just... I wanted to see... Oh, man..." He didn't say more; he found himself unable to speak as he sniffed Duni's neck and shoulder. The closer he got, the more he was willing to forget how repulsed he was by her missing eye.

Duni was standing very still. She was hoping he'd just turn around and leave. As much as she craved company, she knew that Erevu, while old enough already, was still off limits to her. So she tried her best not to lead him on.

"What's wrong," Erevu whispered in her ear, "I thought you'd be all over me or something."

Duni swallowed with difficulty. "I can't... Not until you and Nura-"

"Forget about that! Besides, I don't want Nura to think I don't know what I'm doing when my wedding night comes. I need some practice first. C'mon Duni, let's help each other out here..."

Duni tried to back away, but Erevu didn't give up so easily. Without warning, he nipped her on her shoulder, making Duni react in a positive way towards his advances.

"That's better," he told her, and he kept nipping here and there until Duni could not control herself anymore. Both lions finally gave in to their instincts, not stopping to think about the consequences.

Their love making lasted very shortly, perhaps even shorter than normal, due to Erevu's urgency to get it done. Duni found the activity rather painful, and she couldn't stop herself from growling from beginning to end, and as Erevu stepped away from her, she even turned around to swipe a paw at him, feeling very angry for the pain he had caused her.

_Wait... That was it? _Duni thought, feeling extremely disappointed. She remembered Adla had once warned her that it would hurt, but that it would be worth the pain. As Duni started to wonder if there might be something else wrong with her other than her eyes, just a couple of seconds later, the pain made way for an immense feeling of gratification that swept through her body like a tidal wave. It was a combination of pleasure and relief that rendered the lioness unable to speak and think clearly, and before she knew it, she was rolling around on the grass like a playful, overgrown cub, feeling extremely content and relaxed.

Duni eventually stopped rolling around, and finally lay down on her side, as she warmly welcomed the feeling of drowsiness. The lioness smiled as she admitted to herself that she would definitely put up with many more painful mating sessions, if they all resulted in the amazing feeling she had just experienced.

Erevu, having also found the relief he had been looking for, didn't linger for too long. He returned to the lair shortly after, so as not to arise any suspicions. But he kept visiting Duni's hideout several times per day, until her season came to an end.

The young lion had gone to her hideout one morning, hoping for some more intimate time with Duni, only to find her peacefully asleep, snuggled next to the log. He sniffed her for a moment, but whatever it was that made her so attractive all of a sudden, was gone.

The lion watched her sleep, as he thought about the past few days. He stared at her missing eye, and he couldn't believe he had led himself into this mess. He still felt nothing for this lioness, and he knew he would get in big trouble if anyone were to find out.

Erevu prodded Duni with his paw to wake her up. "Get up, come on..."

Duni looked up. "Huh? Whasswrong..."

"Looks like your season's over. So I was thinking... I don't think we should tell anyone what happened," he told her curtly.

Duni got to her feet, still a bit sleep drunk. "Um... I suppose not... But what if I've become pregnant? The Pride will want to know who the father is..."

Erevu cursed softly to himself. "We'll deal with that later, if that's the case. But for now, please just don't tell anyone."

Duni nodded. "Okay, okay. Don't worry..."

The lioness could hear that Erevu had turned around and left her without another word. She simply sat there, thinking about the past few days. It was clear to her now that Erevu had only come to her for pleasure and nothing more. While this was not a bad thing _per se_, as she harbored no feelings for Erevu either, Duni was aware that both of them had made a terrible mistake, and she had no idea how the Pride would react if they were to find out. The lioness spent what seemed like hours grooming herself, hoping that no one would notice Erevu's scent on her, giving away the fact that she had not been alone during her season.

* * *

Weeks went by and the drought was still making things difficult for the Eyasi Pride; the lionesses had to cover longer distances to find food. If this continued, they would be forced to relocate somewhere else. For now the Pride was doing their best to survive with the limited resources at their disposal.

Duni and Erevu kept avoiding each other as much as they could, whereas Safi had been doing some serious thinking about what he wanted to do with his life. He regretted more and more not having helped Duni when she asked him for assistance, and he found himself daydreaming about what it would be like to live together, she hunting rodents for him, and he hunting bigger game for her. Doing the hunting himself had sounded very unappealing at first, but he realized now that he wouldn't actually mind doing it for her.

Safi made up his mind, and he decided to have a talk with Duni, to find out what her feelings towards him were at this point. He looked for her all over the place, and finally found her resting under the shade of a dried out tree trunk. He swallowed with difficulty, feeling a bit nervous, but walked resolutely towards her.

As Safi got closer, he could hear Duni humming. He pricked his ears and recognized the tune; it was the lullaby Gasira used to sing for them as cubs. He felt intrigued as to why she'd be singing that, but didn't think much of it for now.

"Hey!" he called out loud so as not to startle her as he got closer.

"Hello there," Duni replied, and then sat on her belly, trying to hide it from his view.

"I've been looking all over for you. The thing is... Well, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. Do you have some time?" he asked, while sitting down close to her.

Duni tilted her head and pricked her ears, interested. "I'm all ears."

"Listen... I... I know I've let you down before, and I've apologized a thousand times already but..." he paused for a moment as he looked at the lioness, who despite not being able to see, it appeared as if her left eye was intently piercing him with her stare.

"What I wanted to say is," he went on, "I'll be leaving soon. And I remember that long, long time ago, you offered to go with me, so that I wouldn't feel lonely..."

Duni nodded, recalling that day very well. "Yeah, and you also turned me down then, because of these," she added, motioning with a paw towards her eyes.

Safi bit his lip for a moment, cursing his own bluntness as a youngster. "Well... I've changed my mind in the meantime. And what I wanted to know is... Have you changed yours?"

Duni's expression was a bit hard to read. Safi couldn't tell whether she was surprised or not.

"Er, are you actually asking me to leave the Pride and go with you?"

"Yes," he replied quickly, "I've realized that I made some huge mistakes regarding you in the past, but I want to rectify all of them. I don't care anymore if you can't see. You're the sweetest lioness in the Pride, and I'd be honored if you were to go with me, when the time comes."

Duni appeared shocked at this revelation, since she had no idea that Safi felt that way for her. She looked down as if staring at the ground and for a moment she was not able to speak.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, "Hey, if you don't want to go with me, it's okay, I understand. I messed up way too many times. But I just had hoped..."

When Duni finally looked up again, Safi could tell she was crying silently. "I'm flattered, really... I'd never thought..."

"Shh..." Safi said and nuzzled her as he gently dried her tears with his tongue.

"There's something you need to know, Safi..." she whispered nervously, feeling Safi deserved to know the truth about what happened with Erevu, before making such an important decision. "Erevu came to me during my last season."

Safi pulled back, gasping slightly. "What? That can't be! He said he'd never- I mean..."

The lion was at a loss of words for a moment. "Did you... Are you..."

"I'm quite sure I'm expecting his cub," she said as her voice cracked up, "I swear I didn't invite him, he found me and he wouldn't leave... He was very insistent, I just couldn't control myself..."

Safi looked away as he let out a very deep sigh. "Does anyone else know?"

Duni shook her head.

Both lions remained quiet for a moment, as they considered their options. It was Safi who eventually broke the awkward silence.

"I suppose you'll want to raise the cub here, to be taught by its father, and under the Pride's protection."

"I have no idea what the Pride will do to me once they find out. For all you know, they'll kick me out."

"And if they don't?"

Duni shrugged, looking helpless, "I have no idea, Safi. I need time to think... Your proposal couldn't have come at a more difficult time... That is, if you still want me to go with you."

The lion looked at her, but his feelings towards Duni remained unchanged. He could not reproach Duni what she had done, especially when it had been Erevu who incited it. "Of course I still want you to come with me. But you having Erevu's cub makes matters more difficult than I anticipated."

"What if we leave now? Then nobody will have to know... Maybe we could raise the cub together."

Safi shook his head. "I can't leave now, not until Erevu's strong enough to lead the pride on his own. I promised Adla I'd stick around until then."

"Then I guess I have no other choice but to wait and see what their reaction is," Duni replied, sounding defeated.

Safi looked at her body for a moment. "Stand up for a sec, let me see."

Duni got to her feet, while Safi inspected her tummy. "It's not that obvious yet, you could tell them you've been sneakily eating some rodents and they'll probably believe you."

Duni couldn't stifle a laugh, while the seriousness of the situation still made her feel like a nervous wreck. As much as she had wanted a cub, she regretted having accepted Erevu's sneaky visits.

"Do you want to go back to the lair? I can walk you there," Safi offered.

"No, I'll stay here a bit longer, if that's okay with you. My head's about to explode with thoughts and I could use some quiet time to try and sort things out."

Safi took the hint and stood up. "All right, then. I'll see you around."

The lion kissed Duni's cheek gently, and walked away, with a very worried expression on his face.


	9. Secret Exposed

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 9: Secret Exposed**

As days went by, Safi had managed to keep Duni's secret, even though he was dying to confront Erevu about it. He wanted to scold him for putting Duni in such a difficult position, and, driven by a bit of jealousy, he just wanted to cuff him hard.

Erevu also kept quiet, and continued acting as if nothing had happened. He would still joke about going to find the lionesses' hideouts, and he would still deride Duni's looks, making Safi's blood boil with anger. Safi opted to keep his distance, as he was not sure he would be able to control his temper around Erevu anymore.

Unfortunately for Duni, the time came when she was no longer able to hide the fact that she was with cub. The Pride happened to notice one morning, as Duni walked away in the direction of the lake.

"Say, hadn't we all agreed not to request mating until Nura was of age, and until the drought was over?" Chiku asked.

"Huh? Yeah, why?" Etana replied, wondering what had brought this up.

Chiku motioned with her head towards Duni, ahead in the distance. "Take a look at that and tell me what you think."

The lionesses all stared in Duni's direction, and growled slightly.

"Of all lionesses, of course it had to be her..." Damisi exclaimed.

They all turned to Adla as if waiting for an explanation.

"Is there something you're not telling us, Adla?"

Adla herself was staring at Duni with a shocked expression. "It can't be... She went to hide the moment she felt her season coming, she warned me about it. I even went to check on her that day to make sure she was okay, she was definitely not around any one of the males."

"How about a rogue then? Maybe she met one there?" Faiza asked.

Adla shrugged, looking as confused as the rest of the Pride. "I guess, but her hiding place is not outside the borders. I think Safi and Erevu would have spotted the intruder if that were the case."

"Isn't it obvious?" Damisi interrupted, "Safi spends a lot of time with her lately. If you ask me, he might have given in to her request."

The lionesses pondered about this, and agreed that the theory made sense; Safi and Duni were indeed seen together quite often.

"Still... One more mouth to feed in this drought won't be easy," Chiku replied, "We're barely surviving as it is. If she didn't think about the consequences then, she'll have plenty of opportunities to think about them now. I, for one, refuse to give Duni part of my meat share, just so that she can keep producing milk to support that cub."

"Wow, that's harsh, even for your standards, Chiku," Bahiya said, baring her teeth for a moment, "She's a member of the Pride, and as such she is entitled to our help. We all know that a lonely season can be rough. Giving in to a passing male could have happened to anyone of us."

"Yes, but we can take care of our own cubs. Duni? Not so much! How is she going to keep an eye on it, huh?" Chiku snarled.

"Why don't you ask her?" Adla replied, "she's coming back from the lake."

Chiku turned to see that Duni was already making her way back to their resting place, unaware that she was about to be ambushed and bombarded with questions about her delicate condition.

All eyes were on Chiku, who simply muttered to Adla, "You deal with this. She's your problem, not mine."

Adla shook her head slightly and took a couple of steps towards Duni. She knew that Chiku had never fully agreed to keeping the blind cub around, and she was having a lot of problem lately in keeping that hostility in check.

The lionesses were oddly silent when Duni joined them under the shade of the trees. She could smell a lot of tension in the air.

"Duni... Could we ask you something?" Adla finally asked.

Duni could pick up a hint of worry in her voice, and she feared that they had finally noticed she was pregnant. The lioness simply nodded in reply, as she sat down with her head down, looking submissive.

"It looks as if you're carrying a cub inside you. Is there something you'd like to share with us?"

Duni let out a deep sigh. "I... I was weak, I'm very sorry. I couldn't say no. I tried, I swear I did..."

Chiku snorted, "Yeah, I bet you did."

Duni looked up, sensing a lot of anger coming from her. She tried to look for reassurance, but everyone was quiet and tense, as if expecting an explanation for her actions. Even Adla's scent had failed to comfort her.

"I don't know what you want me to say... I regret what I did, and I can apologize to you a thousand times, but that won't change the outcome."

"Sweetie, this is very serious," Bahiya told her, "The hunting party is working overtime to try and find food, and with this new cub-"

Bahiya interrupted herself as she saw Safi and Erevu making their way towards them. She looked at her Pride-mates, wondering if they should cut this conversation short, but Chiku whispered, "Let him be a part of it, after all, this concerns him as much as it concerns her."

The two lions arrived and just as Duni had done, they could see and smell the tension all around them.

Safi looked at Duni, who was doing her best to be submissive, and he feared that the lionesses now knew the truth as well.

"What's going on?" Erevu asked nonchalantly, having failed to read Duni's body language.

"We've just been notified that our Pride will increase in numbers soon. Duni is with cub," Adla replied.

Erevu felt the blood rushing to his face. "Oh... Um... That's..."

"Disaster, that's what it is," Chiku interrupted, pacing to and fro, "Just what the hell were you thinking?"

Safi sat back, enjoying seeing Erevu in trouble for what he had done.

"I... I think that-" Erevu started to say, but Chiku interrupted him once again, "Don't try to defend him, Erevu. Let Safi speak for himself."

It took Safi a second or two to realize what just happened. Seeing all eyes on him, he got to his feet again. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know how difficult the situation is, not to mention the risk of more blind cubs... I repeat, just _what _were you thinking? Why couldn't you leave her alone like you did the first time she came to you?"

Safi glanced at Duni, wondering if she had fed them a lie and told them he was the father, but Duni appeared as shocked and confused as he was. Erevu on the other hand, looked relieved, probably thinking he could actually get away with this.

Duni in the meantime was expecting Erevu to say something. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't stand up for his own cub, and that he would actually prefer to let his friend take the blame rather than admitting to the Pride what he had done.

Safi remained very quiet, while he did some quick thinking. Exposing Erevu would have been incredibly satisfying, but Duni would still be in trouble if he were to take that route. He could just say the cub was his, and then take Duni away with him. That would settle everyone down, and would be the easiest way out. He was seriously considering this option, when Duni finally spoke.

"What do you have to say about all this, Erevu?" she asked, gazing in the direction of his scent.

Erevu became slightly nervous again, but tried his best to hide it. He was certain that Safi cared for Duni, and thus he hoped Safi would stick to this improvised version of the events, just to spare Duni -and himself- all the trouble. "Um, well... As long as he helps you take care of that cub, I guess I don't mind."

Duni actually bared her teeth in anger. She couldn't believe his cowardice. Erevu was only trying to save his own hide. He didn't care about their cub at all, and it made her extremely upset.

Safi took a deep breath and decided he would personally deal with Erevu later, in private. For now, the lion cleared his throat as he addressed the lionesses again. "Everyone, calm down. Of course I'll make sure the cub will be well cared for."

Duni gasped out loud. "Safi, no..."

"So now go on about your business and just leave Duni alone," Safi added, standing next to Duni protectively.

While Duni admired Safi's noble gesture, she could not let Erevu off the hook that easily.

"I know what you're trying to do Safi, and I really appreciate it, but I want them to know the truth," she told him softly, and then, addressing the Pride in general, she told them, "Safi's not the father of my cub. Erevu is."

"What? But we had agreed-" Etana said, but Duni interrupted her.

"I _know_ what we had agreed! But Erevu went to my hiding place, and _he _stated his intentions pretty clearly. I didn't lead him on in any way, I even reminded him about Nura... Look, I'm sorry my willpower is not as strong as yours, but it takes two to make a cub, and I think Erevu should take responsibility for this as well."

The lionesses turned to their young leader, who looked very uneasy and nervous. "She's lying! Everyone knows I don't like her at all, come on, you can't possibly believe..." he stammered, but the lionesses' piercing stares were more than he could handle. They were all much older and experienced than he was, and could see straight through his lie.

"I- I was with Safi! We chased those cheetahs away from our lair! Remember?" he asked in a pleading tone, hoping Safi would help him out.

But Safi had had enough. He did not appreciate Erevu placing the blame on him either, and he would not help him further. "You were with me, until we went our separate ways. I went to the lair, you went to the lake. I have no idea what you were up to in all the time that you were gone, or the days after."

Erevu finally gave up under the Pride's pressure and looked away. "Okay, okay, so I mated with her, are you happy now? Anyway, it's my right, as leader of the Pride!"

Chiku stood up and faced him, baring her teeth slightly. "This is not about rights and what you think you deserve, Erevu. This is about putting more pressure on the huntresses! Now we will have to split the hunting party to leave lionesses behind in cub duty again, since the mother obviously can't care for a cub. And as if things weren't difficult enough, the cub might be blind too!"

"Back off," Erevu snarled back at her, clearly intimidated by the strong and fierce lioness.

Adla stood between them to try and calm then down. "Okay, everybody, just try to stay calm!" She waited until Erevu and Chiku had stopped snarling at each other before continuing, "We all knew there was a risk of this happening, whether with Duni or with any other lioness, considering how young Erevu was when Faraji passed away. I can't really blame him, in the sense that he's just coming into adulthood, and we all know how impulsive we can be at that age. Erevu probably wasn't even thinking clearly about the consequences of his actions. What actually makes me really angry, is the fact that he lied to us, and he didn't come forward to tell us the truth when Safi was blamed for this."

The lionesses glanced at Erevu, who now looked like a big, guilty cub, while being scolded by his mother.

"Fine, all right! I messed up!" he admitted in the end, "This whole thing just took me by surprise too... You see, Duni never told me she ended up pregnant. I had no idea how you'd all react..."

Adla nodded, confirming just how inexperienced the young lion still was.

"It is clear that our young Erevu here still has a lot to learn, and with Faraji gone, it's up to us to keep on teaching him how to be a good and fair leader."

"You're right," Bahiya replied, "he needs some extra guidance."

"We know several rules were broken here, but I think the solution is simple," Adla went on, "Since Erevu is the father, and he was the one who went in search for Duni to request mating, he will have to make sure that the mother and cub are well taken care of. This means Erevu will have to join the hunts too, to bring in as much food as possible until the drought is over."

"What? And who will patrol the lands?" Erevu asked incredulously.

"You will, of course. Perhaps you will have to sacrifice your afternoon naps and leisure strolls to make time for hunting and patrolling, but I am sure that can be arranged," Adla said, in a tone of voice indicating that she was not willing to negotiate further.

The lionesses looked at each other and nodded in agreement, finding this a fair punishment.

Erevu groaned for a moment, but in the end he just mumbled, "Fine... I'll do it... Now get off my back, all of you." He turned around and walked away, looking very sulky, just like he used to do in his younger days.

The lionesses quietly watched him leave, and finally Nura asked, "I understand the whole waiting until the drought is over, but why is it so important for you all not to request mating until Erevu and I get married? Is Duni, like, Erevu's wife now, or something?"

Bahiya shook her head. "No, no sweetie. It's just a tradition, meant as a sign of respect towards you, the future leader. As you can see, it doesn't work out well all the time... But you're not angry at Duni, are you?"

Nura shook her head, glancing at the blind lioness, who was still staring at the ground, looking very miserable. "No, not at all..." she replied, nuzzling Duni reassuringly.

Duni gave her a little smile, and she could only hope that the hostility of the Pride towards her cub would fade in time.

Safi whispered in Duni's ear, "Wanna get out of here and go somewhere quiet?"

Duni nodded gratefully. "Yes, please..."

Safi turned to the Pride and told them, "Just so you know, I'll keep an eye on the borders while Erevu goes hunting with you, so you won't have to worry about that. Also, even though I am not the real father, I stand by what I said earlier; I will gladly keep an eye on Duni and her cub. I'll bring her to a quiet place now, where she can get some rest."

The lionesses nodded, understanding now that Safi must care very deeply for Duni, if he was willing to invest time in a cub that was not his own.

"Later..." Duni muttered to the lionesses, and followed Safi, glad to be able to get away from that oppressing atmosphere she had just experienced.

* * *

Duni's pregnancy went by with no major problems, and when she began to feel slight pain, she knew the time had come for her to give birth. The lioness then retreated to the same spot where she went to hide during her season.

Adla had already warned her about what to expect, so Duni was prepared, and looking forward to it. The slight pain she had felt made way for a much more intense pain that made Duni roar and cry, despite trying to be strong and keep quiet, but it only lasted a few seconds. As the pain subsided, Duni could feel that her cub had been born. She lovingly cleaned it and dragged it close to her chest to keep it warm.

The cub immediately started nursing, as Duni let out a few tears of happiness. She could only hope that she was born healthy. So far, Duni could not feel any abnormalities, but given the size of the tiny cub, it was hard for Duni to determine if the face or the eyes were normal.

It even took Duni a couple of days before she could identify the cub's gender, but she eventually discovered that it was a lioness.

"So it's up to me to pick a pretty name for you, little one. Have you got any ideas?"

The cub would usually respond to her voice in raucous whines, ensuring Duni that at least her ears were working just fine.

"How about Njano? Do you like it?"

The cub simply snuggled closer, and Duni took that as a sign of approval. "Njano it is, then."

* * *

Duni finally decided to return to the pride after a couple of weeks, only to find the lair deserted. The lionesses and Erevu were away hunting, and Safi was keeping an eye on the borders, as promised.

Duni waited patiently for them to return, while she nursed Njano, feeling both excited and nervous, wondering if the lionesses would react in a friendly or a hostile manner.

The hunting party finally made their way back home. Duni pricked her ears and listened to them as they walked nearer. From what she could gather, their spirits were down. The lionesses were trying to encourage each other, stating that they would find food tomorrow.

At the sight of Duni back at the lair, Chiku let out a soft snarl and muttered, "I can't deal with this right now, I'm going to the lake." The lioness turned and walked away.

The rest of the hunting party continued on their way to the lair, and they welcomed Duni back half-heartedly. Except for Adla and Bahiya, the lionesses sat down to rest, feeling tired and hungry, and didn't even approach to take a look at the cub.

Adla walked to Duni and nuzzled her gently. "Glad to see you back, sweetie."

Duni sighed deeply. She remembered how the lionesses had been all over Erevu and Nura when they were born. Their distant attitude now worried her. "They're still angry, aren't they?" she whispered.

"They're in the worst mood you can imagine. We were too hasty and let the prey escape. Just give them some time, I'm sure they'll come around," Adla whispered in return.

"Can we see the little one?" Bahiya asked.

Duni smiled and moved her paw aside, revealing the tiny cub that had nested against her chest. "Her name's Njano."

Adla and Bahiya examined Njano closely to determine if she was healthy or not.

Duni whispered, "Tell me... Can she see? Is her face okay?"

"Her face is fine, don't worry," Adla replied, feeling relieved, "She's a beautiful lioness. As for her eyes... It's hard to tell right now if she can see, she's sound asleep."

"Could you please check? It's almost time for her meal anyway..."

Adla hesitated for a moment, but nodded in the end. "All right, let's see..."

The lioness nuzzled the little cub gently, and then pawed it carefully, trying to wake her up. It was actually a distant roar from Erevu, who had gone straight from hunting to marking his borders, that managed to wake up the sleepy cub.

Njano opened her eyes slowly and then stared up into Adla's face, who was examining her up close.

Adla waved a paw in front of Njano's face, and smiled when she saw both of the cub's eyes following the paw intently, and she let out a triumphant laugh when Njano playfully swatted at it.

"Oh, she can see all right," Adla exclaimed, as Duni relaxed considerably, knowing that the Pride would be more willing to accept Njano now.

Seeing Adla and Bahiya cooing at the cub piqued the interest of the rest of the Pride, and they eventually also came to take a look, grateful that the cub was healthy and would be able to hunt normally in the future, if she managed to survive the drought.

Erevu and Safi also returned to the Pride later in the evening, but Erevu couldn't hide his lack of enthusiasm. To him, this cub represented a reminder of his mistake, and nothing but trouble. Njano's presence meant that he had to hunt along with the lionesses, and even Safi had challenged him to a fight, for trying to blame him and for having put Duni in such a difficult position.

Erevu was no match for a strong and full grown lion as Safi, and the young lion was humiliated even further as he lost the battle, realizing that Safi could easily take over his Pride, if he wanted to.

As such, Erevu was resentful towards the cub, and even knowing that Njano was healthy and strong didn't seem to matter. Erevu remained cold and distant. He would hunt for her because he had to, but he didn't feel like looking for contact, much like Faraji had done with Duni in the past.

Safi, on the other hand, enjoyed spending time with Njano and would allow the tiny cub to climb all over his mane and bite his ears and tail. He was very patient, and would often describe each and one of Njano's actions to Duni, so that she could at least imagine what the cub was up to.

Duni had never felt happier, and she couldn't wait for Erevu to be in complete charge of the Pride, so that she could go away with Safi and Njano, and start a new life together.


	10. A Troublesome Cub

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 10: A Troublesome Cub**

Despite a rough start, little Njano had made it through the drought. The rains had finally arrived, bringing with them new life to the territory of the Eyasi Pride. This meant that Erevu was finally released from his punishment, hopefully having learned his lesson.

The lion stopped joining the hunting party to concentrate again in patrolling his borders and keeping the territory free of intruders. Erevu hated to admit it, but the punishment also made him value and appreciate the hard work that the lionesses put into the hunt. He considered himself lucky to have such a good team of huntresses to provide him with food every other day.

Safi had done a good job at patrolling while Erevu had been occupied with hunting, but the relation between the two male lions had cooled down considerably. They would often go their separate ways, and Erevu hoped to be able to challenge Safi to a fight again sometime, once he was fully grown, to even the score.

Njano, in the meantime, was full of energy and would run around playfully all day long, keeping Duni extremely busy as she tried to keep track of where the cub was going. Duni realized with some mortification that she was having trouble trying to keep up, since the cub kept running all over the place, and more often than not Duni found herself following the wrong scent trail.

"Njano? Njano, where are you?" she called out loud one morning, when she had lost track of the cub for the third time already.

"Looking for this?" came Chiku's muffled voice unexpectedly, probably carrying Njano in her muzzle. Indeed, Duni felt the cub being dropped by her paws, while Njano laughed innocently.

"Thanks, Chiku," Duni said, trying not to look too embarrassed.

Chiku only snorted and walked away, shaking her head and thinking to herself that the cub would end up in serious trouble without proper vigilance. But she kept repeating to herself that it was not her problem, Duni would have to sort it out.

Duni sighed deeply and nuzzled Njano, "What did I tell you? You must not run away from me, you have to stay here where I can protect you from predators, you understand? If Chiku had been a leopard instead, you could have been dead by now!"

"Sorry, mom... Milk now?" Njano asked, feeling hungry.

"All right, come here," Duni replied, glad to be able to nurse Njano, which meant the cub would finally stay put for a while. Duni was exhausted, and would take advantage of these quiet moments to catch up on some sleep while Njano ate and napped.

Things didn't become any easier for Duni as time went by. Njano was very smart and she eventually noticed that there was something different to her mother. Once Njano realized that Duni's sight was impaired, the little lioness started taking advantage of her mother's handicap. Njano would rub herself on an object and then place it close to Duni's nose while she slept, to fool her into thinking that she was still lying nearby. Njano then would head off to explore on her own.

If she was quick enough, she would return before Duni even noticed, but one time she wandered too far and ended up in the hunting grounds, ruining the lionesses hunting attempt once by yelling loudly, "Hey Adla, what you all doing?" and blowing up the lionesses' cover.

Duni had to sit and listen time and time again as the lionesses voiced their complaints about her lack of control on the cub.

As much as it hurt her, Duni now understood why the lionesses thought she wouldn't make a good mother. They were right when they told her she had bitten more than she could chew. Duni loved Njano dearly, but the little lioness was driving her insane lately. Sometimes Duni even felt like running away and hide for a while, wishing her cub had been more like Nura instead: obedient and sweet-tempered. But then a feeling of guilt would swarm her, and Duni would feel like the worst mother ever for even thinking that way about her own, beloved cub. She kept reminding herself that she had been blessed with a healthy and intelligent little lioness, and she should be thankful for that.

But when Chiku came to Duni for the umpteenth time, complaining that this time Njano had been trying to knock down a beehive, even after being warned by Damisi that it could be dangerous, Duni finally broke down in tears, admitting between sobs that she could not take care of Njano by herself, and that she needed the help of a sitter.

Adla nuzzled Duni while drying her tears. "I'm sure something can be arranged. The drought is over, so we can spare one lioness to stay behind in cub-duty with you."

Adla looked around the Pride to see if anyone volunteered, but most of the lionesses had this _I told you so_expression on their faces, feeling little empathy for Duni.

It was Nura who finally came forward. "I'll do it."

"You can't," Chiku told her, "Even though you've had your First Hunt already, you still need all the practice you can get, if you are to lead the hunting party sometime."

Nura took another step forward. "There will be time for that later. For now, there's something you need to know..."

The lionesses turned to her, listening intently.

"I've had my first season already. Erevu and I sealed our engagement last full moon."

The lionesses gasped in unison.

"I have reasons to believe that I am expecting his cub as well," Nura went on, "and I'd like to spend time with Duni and Njano, to learn how it is to raise one. So, I'd really love to cub-sit with her. Will you please let me do it?"

After some consideration, the lionesses finally agreed to let Nura stay behind.

Bahiya nuzzled her daughter, crying from happiness. "I can't believe you're all grown up... Faraji would have been so proud..."

Adla waited until the commotion died down, as the lionesses congratulated Nura, bowing to her in respect and roaring loudly in delight. The young lioness was now officially the leader's mate, and that called for celebration.

"So that's settled, then," Adla told them, "Nura will stay behind for now, and I suggest the rest of us get a move on and go search for food."

Adla then turned to Duni, who had stopped crying in the meantime, and looked more serene. "The lionesses are always very quick in helping Njano out when she gets in trouble. They do have a soft spot of her; don't let their distant attitude fool you. We're all keeping an eye on her, so don't you worry. Okay?"

"Yeah, I know. Thanks a lot," Duni said sincerely, wondering what she would do without Adla, "Sorry about all the trouble she's caused so far..."

Adla simply licked her cheek in return, reassuring Duni that there were no hard feelings from her side.

After the hunting party had left, Nura turned to Duni and Njano and asked, "Do you two feel like a swim by the lake?"

"Swim? Whassat?" Njano asked, tilting her head.

"I haven't dared taking her to the lake," Duni explained, "I'm afraid she'll jump in and I won't be able to follow her trail anymore..."

Nura nodded understandingly. "Oh, I see... But it is really important for her to learn, the sooner the better. I'd like to teach her, is that okay with you?"

Duni couldn't help but smile, and nodded in approval. The three lionesses then headed in the direction of the lake.

Nura's idea turned to be a success; Njano was having a blast while splashing around and chasing fish. And Duni didn't have to worry too much if the cub ever sneaked here again on her own, knowing that the little lioness had turned out to be a very good swimmer after all.

"Thanks for helping me out," Duni told Nura once Njano had gotten tired from all the exercise, and had curled up against them for a short nap, her moist fur drying in the sunshine.

"Don't mention it, I was looking forward to it."

Duni bit her lip for a moment, hesitant. "I... I never apologized to you for what happened..."

"Do you mean what happened between you and Erevu?" Nura replied, laughing slightly, "Don't worry about it, I know how pushy he can be. He kept asking me every single day, _Are you of age yet?_" she added, imitating his voice a bit mockingly, "He was driving me crazy, I tell you. He didn't nag much after he spent time with you, so I have to thank _you _for that."

Duni chuckled, blushing slightly. "And look at you now. Here you are, finally of age, and carrying his cub... It seems like yesterday when I was pawing your tiny face for the first time."

"Yeah, time flies... Erevu seems really happy with the idea. He says he finally feels that he can lead this Pride. He wanted to wait before making the formal announcement to the lionesses, but I thought today was a good time to let you all know, given the circumstances."

Duni looked away for a moment. "So he feels ready, hmm? That means Safi will probably have to leave soon..."

Nura looked at her in surprise. "I don't mean to pry or anything but... I had assumed that you wouldn't let Safi go all on his own... Or aren't you two that close?"

Duni couldn't hide a dreamy smile. "He asked me to go with him, yes. I had agreed back then, but now... Njano is just totally out of control. Safi will probably be busy hunting and patrolling, and then I will be left alone with the cub. I'd hate to think what could happen to her, without the watchful eye of the other lionesses..."

"You have a point, but think positive: Njano won't stay small and hyper forever. I'm sure things will work out for you in the end."

Duni gave her a hopeful grin, but couldn't stifle a yawn afterwards. "Sorry about that, I just haven't had some decent sleep in forever..."

Nura grinned. "Well, go ahead! I promise I'll keep an eye on Njano. If you find us gone when you wake up, we're just taking a walk around the borders. Is that okay?"

Duni nodded appreciatively, and fell asleep within minutes of resting her head on the grass.

Nura, in the meantime, stared at Njano curiously. There was no doubt this was Erevu's cub. Njano had inherited the colour of his eyes and his pelt, which was slightly darker than Duni's. Nura couldn't wait to see what her own cub would look like. In the meantime, she decided to start practicing her cub-grooming skills, licking Njano gently while she slept.

* * *

Duni had feared the time when Nura would retreat to give birth, and she would be left alone with Njano again. The little lioness was already six months old, but she was still extremely active and playful, and would get impatient with her mother every time Duni could not keep up with her.

"Mom, will you hurry up? Those birds are gonna be long gone if you keep lagging behind!" Njano yelled at Duni one afternoon.

"Njano, come here for a moment," Duni told her, losing her patience slightly.

Njano rolled her eyes and approached her mother. "What is it?"

"I want you to close your eyes."

"But the birds-"

"Just do it, okay?"

"Fine, fine! They're closed now,?" the little lioness replied, closing her eyes tight.

"Great. Now keep on walking, but keep your eyes closed. Don't cheat!"

"This is lame. How am I supposed to know where I'm going?"

Duni smirked slightly. "Use your nose and your ears."

Njano sniffed around, muttering unintelligible words under her breath, and just a few seconds later, she crashed straight into a rock.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, opening her eyes and rubbing her nose as her eyes began to tear up from the pain.

Duni approached Njano and licked the sore nose lovingly. "Now, I want you to imagine that this is how it is for me, all the time. I don't have the option to open my eyes and see everything the way you do. Every step I take, I have to make sure that I won't crash into anything, or step into something painful. Now, I can follow your trail, but if you keep running away from me, it just makes it harder for me to keep up. Can you understand that, Njano?"

"Yes..." Njano muttered, finding it hard to imagine having to navigate with her eyes closed all the time. "Sorry, mom. Can we please go to the birds now?"

Duni nodded, and smiled to herself when Njano had stopped hurrying her, and actually waited for her to catch up. To Njano's delight, the birds she had spotted were still in the area, and she had a blast chasing them around.

However, Njano still enjoyed sneaking away on her own so as not to be slowed down by her mother, and in the weeks that Nura was away while giving birth, the complaints from the other lionesses had started raining over Duni again, making it clear that she could not leave the Pride just yet.

It felt like an eternity to Duni, but Nura eventually returned to the lair, presenting two healthy cubs to the Pride. The first born was a male cub that Erevu decided to call Imara, and the second one was a female that Nura called Kanai.

Njano was most intrigued by Nura's new cubs, and she could hardly wait for them to grow a bit more so that they could all run around together.

Safi had been watching the Pride thoughtfully as the lionesses celebrated the arrival of the leaders' cubs. That very same evening, Safi approached Duni, while Njano slept by her side, and whispered, "You know, I think today would be a good time to make our exit... Erevu's got his own cubs now, and the Pride doesn't need my help anymore. What do you say?"

Duni looked away sadly.

"What's the matter? You don't want to come with me anymore?" Safi asked.

"I'd love to, more than anything, Safi," she replied, nuzzling him out of the blue.

He nuzzled her back, always happy with her attentions, wondering what was wrong.

"The problem is that Njano is too much for me to handle, and I hate to admit it, but I can't take care of her on my own. I'm afraid she'll get into serious trouble if we leave now."

Safi chuckled. "She is quite a handful, isn't she? I can't remember having that much energy when I was a cub."

The lion looked at Duni, who appeared worried and stressed out.

"Listen, we don't have to go yet if you're not sure about it. But I'd really like it if we could at least share a niche together or something. I'd love to sleep by your side every day."

Duni looked up and smiled. "So are you officially asking me to be your mate now?"

Safi grinned and licked her face repeatedly. "Yes, that's basically it. I just want to be with you, doesn't matter if it's here or anywhere else."

Duni snuggled her face in his mane and whispered, "I'd love to be your mate."

Both lions spent a while nuzzling and grooming each other. As they finally made their way together to Safi's usual resting spot, with Njano still fast asleep while hanging from Duni's muzzle, it became clear to the Pride that Duni and Safi were officially a couple now.

Adla smiled to herself as she watched Duni curling up against Safi, while he wrapped a paw over her protectively. She couldn't help feeling proud of how far her adoptive daughter had come.

* * *

With three boisterous cubs running around, the Pride decided to assign yet another cub-sitter, to keep an eye on all of them. Nura had resumed hunting, so Etana, Gasira and Faiza would take turns to watch over the young ones, while Duni would often tag along, teaching them how to look for rodents, and nursing them whenever they felt hungry.

Njano had taken a liking to the younger cub Kanai, and they would often team up together to tease Imara, who was a bit shy and less outspoken than the other two.

"Play nice," the lionesses would tell Njano often, but it seemed as if that concept was alien to her. Njano loved to wrestle, but she would often bite and use her claws. To make things worse, Kanai had started to follow her example, and poor Imara would often return from their playing session scratched and bruised.

"If you keep this up, we'll be forced to ask Chiku to do the cub-sitting. Trust me, you don't want Chiku as your sitter. We're warning you!" Faiza told Njano one day, when her rough play had gotten out of hand and both Kanai and Imara had deep scratches on their noses.

Unfortunately for Njano, she did not listen to Faiza's warnings, and awoke one day to find that indeed Chiku would be doing the cub-sitting for a change. Njano couldn't care less, and was prancing around playfully, until the hunting party left. Chiku then approached her and pinned her down roughly with a single paw.

"Listen up, kiddo, whatever you do to them, _I'm _going to do to you, so you better watch it with those teeth and claws. Understood?"

Njano tried to wiggle away from under her paw, but Chiku simply pressed down slightly harder. "Answer me."

"Okay, okay! Let go now!"

Chiku lifted her paw and Njano scurried away to hide behind Duni, who looked worried and was not totally sure this approach would actually work.

"Okay then, listen carefully now," Chiku said, addressing all three cubs while showing off her sharp, long nails, "These are the rules for today's game: first one to move, loses. That's it! The game starts _right now_," Chiku snarled, while the three cubs looked at her uneasily.

"What happens if we lose?" Kanai asked.

"Do you really want to find out?" Chiku said, giving her a mean, toothy grin.

Kanai shook her head, but stopped quickly realizing that this would probably count as movement.

Chiku ignored it and chuckled to herself.

"I must warn you, talking counts as moving too, so keep quiet."

Chiku had never been a good sitter, and she knew it. She had no interest in having cubs herself either, she just didn't have the patience for it. But it amused her how easily she could keep the cubs under control, including that little pest Njano, who was as still as could be.

The lioness kept the cubs like that for quite a while, until they started fidgeting, tired of sitting in the same position.

"How do you like this game?" Chiku eventually asked.

"It stinks, can we play something else now?" came Njano's swift reply.

"Well, I'll tell you what. I'll let you guys run around for a while, but at the first sign of trouble, we're going back to my game. Is that clear?"

The three cubs sighed in relief and they all stretched at the same time, glad to be able to move.

"Hey guys, how about a round of Tag?" Kanai suggested, and the two other cubs quickly agreed. As they ran after each other, Chiku went to sit next to Duni and kept an eye on them from afar.

Duni always felt shy around Chiku, more so after all the problems Njano had caused lately. Duni could hear her, breathing calmly right next to her, and that was already enough to make Duni feel uneasy.

Chiku glanced at Duni and couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Hey, the 'don't move' game was meant for the critters only, you don't have to sit still like a statue."

Duni nodded nervously and lay down on her tummy, unsure of what to say, but it was Chiku, to her surprise, who initiated conversation.

"Things must've been way out of hand if they called _me _in to do the cub-sitting. Didn't you ever teach Njano to control her biting and scratching?"

"We don't wrestle; I tried to play like that with her one day and ended up stepping on her by accident. I was afraid I'd end up hurting her for real, so instead I told her to scratch and bite on a piece of bark..."

"Ah, no wonder," Chiku replied, "The bark won't snarl and correct her when she bites too hard. Oh well, I'll gladly teach her a lesson today, if push comes to shove."

Duni had no doubt that Chiku would be able to instill fear in Njano if she were to misbehave. "I've been meaning to ask you... Do you actually look as menacing as you sound?" Duni asked, hoping she wouldn't feel offended.

Chiku let out a deep chuckle, apparently taking Duni's comment as a compliment. "The thing is, my mother was very much battle-oriented. She valued combat training over hunting training, so I got extra fighting lessons from her. She said that it was good to have a good fighter around, to defend the Pride in case the male was away."

Duni listened intently, as she realized how little she really knew about Chiku.

"You can imagine, as a result from my training, I turned out a bit brawnier than the rest. My face and body are covered in scars too, which makes me look a lot fiercer. I even heard from a _charming _passing rogue once that I look like an ugly, mane-less male."

Duni tilted her head as she could detect a slight hint of bitterness as Chiku spoke those words.

"Not that I mind, you know," Chiku added quickly, shaking her head as if trying to get away from that memory, "I'm extremely good at what I was raised to do, and that's what matters. So to answer your question, basically all I need to do is look mean and bare my teeth, and those three cubs will pee themselves in no time."

Duni, who already felt intimidated by Chiku's presence only, could not imagine what kind of effect she could have on a cub. She would find out soon enough, since at that point, they heard Imara scream in pain.

"That's my cue. Don't worry, I promise I'll try not to cause them any permanent damage," Chiku said with a wink, but since her gesture was lost on Duni, she added quickly, "That was a joke."

Duni simply nodded and pricked her ears, listening to Chiku's footsteps as she walked towards where Imara was crying.

"All right, looks like it's time to go back to my game," Chiku said, as Njano and Kanai groaned.

Chiku bent over to inspect why Imara was crying; a clear set of teeth was imprinted on his foreleg, and he was bleeding slightly. Without a warning, Chiku turned around and pinned Njano to the ground, holding one of the cub's forepaws between her powerful jaws.

"Remember what I told you?" Chiku asked through her mouth full.

Njano's eyes widened in fear, but before the cub could reply, Chiku increased the pressure on her jaw slightly, making Njano scream, much to Duni's distress. As much as she wanted Njano to learn some discipline, she didn't like the sound of Chiku's methods. Chiku, however, had been careful not to really bite. It was more the fear of being bitten what had caused Njano to scream.

Chiku released Njano's leg. "Next time I swear I'll bite you for real, until you learn how to play nice. Now line up, and stay still until I say so! Move it!" she growled.

The three cubs stood next to each other as quickly as possible and tried to remain still, while Njano sobbed quietly and tried to examine her uninjured paw without moving too much.

"I'm sorry..." Kanai whispered as soft as possible, "She didn't give me any time to explain it had been me who bit Imara..."

"S'okay," Njano said between sobs, "I wouldn't have ratted you out anyway. You're smaller than I am, she could've gobbled you up in one go! Did you see the size of her teeth?"

Kanai nodded as discretely as she could. "I did! She's super scary! But yeah... Thanks for covering up for me... I owe you one."

"Quiet, you three!" Chiku ordered, and the cubs remained as still as they could.

By the end of the day, the three cubs had never been so glad to see the hunting party returning to the lair. Having Chiku as a sitter had been a horrible and incredibly boring experience, and one thing was for sure, Njano would think twice to disobey if they threatened her with bringing in Chiku again.

Duni, who had felt very apprehensive as she listened to Chiku drilling the cubs all afternoon, was happy to hear that the biting and scratching incidents had stopped after that.

Duni couldn't help but wonder if Chiku herself was treated the same way as a cub. It sounded like she had had a rough childhood, with all the scars to prove it. All in all, Duni was glad that the they had that small moment of bonding. She felt she could now understand that scary lioness a little bit better.


	11. Closest of Friends

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 11: Closest of Friends**

Once Imara and Kanai reached the age in which their lessons would start, Erevu and Nura took them for a long walk one evening, to explain to them what their role in the Pride was, and what was expected from them, as future leaders. They didn't address the betrothal yet; they would wait until both of them were older before addressing this subject.

Nura, with Adla's assistance, would concentrate on teaching Kanai, and Erevu would start taking Imara on patrol. He was still a bit young, but Erevu himself had enjoyed those walks with his father, and was now looking forward to teach his own son.

Njano had felt a bit left out in the beginning, but she learned soon after that her hunting training would start as well. Njano had already learned from Duni how to locate and catch rodents successfully, but it was now time for the young lioness to focus on hunting bigger game, although the Pride members were not too excited about having to teach her.

Njano was still very easily distracted, and she much preferred to run off and explore than having to sit through a boring theory lesson.

One rainy morning, Njano was pleasantly surprised to see that Kanai would also be joining the hunting training as of now. She was sure that it would make the lessons a lot more fun.

Kanai herself seemed to be quite interested in learning. She paid attention, and would ask relevant questions. Damisi, who was teaching them that particular morning, could clearly tell that Kanai was really making an effort, while Njano simply joked around, or nodded quietly pretending to listen, looking a bit sleepy, and never had anything to ask at the end of a lesson.

The lessons carried on like that for several days, and the teachers started to lose their patience, since Njano, in her boredom, kept distracting Kanai too.

Threatening Njano with bringing Chiku in to teach her wouldn't work this time. Chiku was actually a very good teacher, but she had absolutely no patience towards Njano, and the lioness had simply refused to give her any lessons.

"I give up," Faiza told Njano one day, after what seemed like the hundredth interruption to her lesson, "I don't care any more if you don't want to pay attention; it will all show when you make a fool of yourself at your hunting test. I don't want you around during my lessons anymore, distracting Kanai, who genuinely wants to learn this stuff."

Njano blinked for a moment, actually looking thrilled. "So I can just go now? For real?"

"Get out of my sight, now!" Faiza snarled.

"All right!" Njano exclaimed, "Sucks to be you, Kanai! See you later, okay?"

Kanai watched her friend run away before Faiza could say anything else, and she couldn't help but laugh. "I can't believe her, she really left!"

"It's not funny, Kanai. It's precisely that sort of attitude that's making her more and more unpopular with the Pride."

"Njano says she's always been unpopular anyway. She says nobody wanted her to be born at all. Would you know if that's true, Faiza?"

Faiza frowned for a moment. "What? No! I mean, Njano was born in the middle of a horrible drought. We all just thought it was extremely bad timing, that's all... Where did she get that idea from?"

Kanai looked at Faiza and whispered, "The thing is, she actually overheard someone, don't know who, saying really nasty things about her mother and about herself."

Faiza let out a deep sigh. "I am sure whoever said that didn't mean it. We all say nasty things sometimes when we're mad, and, being totally honest here, Njano does tend to rub everyone the wrong way often, one way or another."

"So you didn't mean what you said, then? Can she come to the lesson tomorrow?"

Faiza admitted defeat, and nodded with a smile. "Of course she can. Whether she'll want to, we'll have to see. She seemed too happy to be expelled, if you ask me."

Kanai laughed again, nuzzling Faiza gently. "She's just a bit crazy like that. I'll talk to her and see what I can do, okay?"

Faiza nodded. "Okay. Anyway, let's carry on where we left off..."

* * *

While Kanai had managed to persuade Njano to try and sit through the lessons and not interrupt, Njano would often get lost in her daydreams and lose track of what was being said.

One afternoon, the two young lionesses were making their way to the lake for a drink, after a rather long and boring lesson on stalking, involving trying to sneak up one of the Pride members time and time again, without being seen or heard. Kanai had been able to surprise a couple of lionesses, but Njano's stalking skills were still far from perfect.

As they reached the lake, Njano stretched herself, not looking worried or bothered about her failed attempts at stalking and the teacher's reprimands. On the contrary, she simply looked very relieved that the lesson was over, and she could finally relax, without others interrupting her fantasies.

"Say... What exactly are you thinking about anyway, when you space out like that all the time during class?" Kanai asked her, looking amused.

"I dunno... Sometimes I like to pretend I'm the alpha, and I command a huge Pride of strong lionesses that strike fear wherever they go... Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like to be like mom. I then just concentrate on smells and sounds and try to block all visuals... I also think of what else is there beyond the borders of our territory. I mean, wouldn't you like to meet a rogue one day, and hear stories about where he's been and what he's seen?"

Kanai nodded as she sat next to Njano. They both bent over to drink; for a moment there was no other sound but the lapping of their tongues against the water.

When Kanai was finished, she let out a deep sigh. "I wish I could just block everything out like you do sometimes. They keep telling me about how much responsibility is on my shoulders, how I have to learn this, and then learn that... It's like I can't afford to get distracted, you know what I mean?"

Njano nodded. "Yeah... Makes sense, you being the future leader and all. But mom insists I should make a better effort too. Just because I am nowhere close to the top of the rank, doesn't mean that I shouldn't care about my learning. She insists that I learn to hunt together with the Pride, but what's the point? Safi says we'll be leaving soon anyway, to form our own Pride, once mom is sure that I won't run off and kill myself in a freak accident."

Kanai laughed. "You're not a tiny cub anymore, you know. I'm quite sure you can take care of yourself better now."

"Mom doesn't think so yet, especially after the rhino incident..."

"Oh, yeah... Only you could have come up with the idea of playing a prank on the rhinos, honestly," Kanai said, shaking her head with a smile, "Good thing Adla was there to calm them down, huh?"

Njano smiled and nodded. "Yup... I still get mean stares from the rhinos, by the way," she replied, lying on her belly, looking content.

Kanai looked at her for a moment. "I know it sounds weird but... Sometimes I wish we could trade places, kinda."

Njano looked up. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, then you can be the alpha and lead a Pride of lions, just like you wish, and I can just goof around and relax, think about pranks and laugh when getting kicked out of lessons... Not caring much about stuff and all sounds like a lot more fun."

Njano looked away and rested her head on her paws. "Hmm, so that's what Erevu meant, when he said I was setting a bad example for you."

Kanai frowned slightly and looked away, embarrassed. "Oh, was he going on about that again?"

Njano shrugged. "They _all _go on about that, now that I think about it, even mom. They sorta wish I'd follow you instead of you following me."

Kanai lay down beside Njano thoughtfully. "I wish they'd stop doing that. It makes me feel very uncomfortable every time they tell you to be more like myself."

"Don't be, you know I can deal with it. Besides, I know it's only a matter of time before we go. Then your Pride will finally get some rest, and who knows, maybe we'll meet some other lionesses along the way who might have more in common with me."

Kanai couldn't stifle a chuckle as she thought about living in a Pride full of scatterbrained lionesses like Njano, as opposed to her strict and discipline-oriented group.

"Anyway," Njano said as she stood up and shook herself, "I promised mom we'd go critter-hunting together today, so I'd better get going before she gets worried and starts wondering where I am."

"All right, I'll see you around. Have fun!"

Njano head-butted Kanai gently, giving her a small lick in the process. She then walked away, humming to herself.

Kanai watched her leave, envying her slightly for being able to live so carefree. The fact that Njano was not bothered by how coldly the Pride treated her sometimes made Kanai think that she was a lot stronger than the Pride gave her credit for. She could take a lot and just keep on going as if nothing happened.

The lioness rubbed with a paw the spot where Njano had licked her and took in her scent. She closed her eyes for a moment, but then shook her head, as if shaking herself off from a daydream. _You ain't making any sense,_ she thought as she walked back to the lair on her own, her heart beating faster, for a reason she could not describe.

* * *

The day when Njano and Kanai would take their hunting test had finally arrived.

Knowing that the huntresses would be occupied while grading the two students, Duni and Safi decided to go on a little hunting session of their own. They were sure the tired lionesses and their teachers would appreciate a snack once they returned.

As they sniffed the ground, looking for gophers, Safi thought it would be a good time to address their future, once again.

"By the way, have you given it more thought about going away soon?"

"I was afraid you'd ask," Duni replied, smiling slightly. "I guess a lot depends on whether Njano passes the test or not. If she flunks, she'll still need the guidance from the other lionesses to improve."

Safi frowned. "Do you really think so? I mean, you and I are getting by on small prey and the occasional antelope that I bring down. I am sure we could teach Njano as well. You know all the theory by heart, and I could show her how to apply it out there in the grasslands..."

Duni stopped sniffing for a moment and turned her head towards Safi's direction. "Just wondering... Why are you so keen on leaving, anyway? I mean, in the past you used to hate the thought of having to go. I remember how sad you were when Adla broke the news to you."

Safi walked to her and sat down. "It's Erevu. He hasn't forgotten that fight we had, and just by the way he looks at me, I have the feeling he'll challenge me soon."

Duni looked worried after hearing this. She had no idea how much Erevu had grown in the meantime, as she had practically had no physical contact with him at all since her last season. "Is he very strong?"

"He's stronger than he was back then, that's for sure, but that's not what worries me. When we leave, I want to do it in good terms. A fight, regardless of the outcome, is just going to make things a lot worse between us than they already are. And if I happen to win, his authority with the lionesses might decrease. As angry as I was back then, I don't feel like humiliating him now in front of his Pride."

"Yeah, they do believe he's doing a good job now after all. I heard that Etana and Faiza are expecting cubs, and the others were looking into the possibility as well. The Pride's thriving under his leadership, all right..."

Safi looked at her. "How about you? Njano's not nursing anymore, which means you'll be coming into season again sometime soon."

Duni shook her head. "I know, but I don't want to think about it, not until we leave and have gathered a group of lionesses willing to help me raise a new cub. I think the Eyasi Pride would tear me to pieces if I end up pregnant again, don't you agree?"

Safi laughed and nuzzled her gently. "If the new cub turns out as naughty as Njano, could you blame them?"

Duni chuckled and focused on sniffing the ground again. "She's really sweet once you get to know her. So she can't focus for long, so what? That doesn't make her less of a lioness. I wish the rest could feel that way too. I deeply regret all those days in which I wished she was different. Nowadays, I wouldn't change Njano for the world. She's very loyal, and I am sure the Pride could put that to good use if they wanted to..."

"I take it your relationship with her is getting better?"

Duni nodded, smiling proudly. "We still disagree and bicker sometimes, but she's not as inconsiderate as when she was a cub. If she's going somewhere, she'll actually let me know, and the other day she even invited me to go with her for a walk, for no reason. She even kept an eye on obstacles on the way and such. I had the feeling something was bothering her, but she wouldn't say. When I asked her what was wrong, she simply said, _I just overheard some horrible things today, but I knew a walk with my mom would take my mind off it all._"

Safi looked intrigued. "Any idea what she might have heard?"

Duni shook her head. "I didn't force her to tell me, all I know is that she was very distressed and she actually went to me for comfort. I can't tell you just how happy that made me."

Safi let out a deep sigh. "Okay... We'll wait a bit longer then, but I just wanted to warn you that we might need to leave hastily sometime soon, whether you feel Njano's ready or not."

"I understand," Duni replied, and concentrated on hunting again.

Safi also remained quiet after that, and between the both of them they managed to hunt enough critters to surprise the teachers and the students when they returned.

It was already dark by the time Njano and Kanai returned from their hunting test.

"Kanai has passed the test with excellent marks, but Njano is not ready for her First Hunt yet. She needs more patience while hiding, and she needs to be more quiet while stalking too, and moreover, she should not run off in the middle of an exam," Damisi announced, much to Duni's disappointment.

"What happened?" Duni asked Njano, once the rest of the lionesses gratefully started digging in on the gophers she caught earlier.

"I was supposed to pin down a zebra, but there was this other scent in the air, I couldn't identify it, so I went to check it out."

Duni groaned slightly. "Couldn't you have waited with your explorations at least until the test was over?"

"It was just too intriguing to let it pass, mom! I figured I could just check it out quickly and come back to the zebra later, but some leopards were also hunting in the area, and they scared the herd away before I came back."

Duni sighed and shook her head slightly. "So what was that smell you followed?"

"Oh, it was awesome, you won't believe it!" Njano replied, sounding quite excited, "Check this out: I actually witnessed an elephant giving birth. It's the grossest, but also the cutest thing I've seen in my life. Now, I can go and hunt zebra anytime I want, right? But how often do you get to see a baby elephant being born? I tell you, it was adorable. And that baby is already bigger than myself, can you imagine?"

Duni stared in Njano's direction thoughtfully. "Wasn't the mother angry to see you there?"

"Oh, she didn't see me. She was being very protective and she'd have trampled me for sure. No, I just hid and watched it all from a safe distance."

Duni gave her a warm smile. "Let me get this straight... So you stayed put, quietly hiding and stalking, all throughout the time it took her to give birth? And she never noticed your presence?"

Njano blinked a couple of times. "Now that you put it that way, I guess I did... Hey, I don't suck at all those things after all!"

Duni smiled to herself and shook her head. "No, you don't suck. I guess we just work differently, you and I... I believe that the moment you feel real hunger, you'll do great at bringing a zebra down for real."

Njano smiled and nuzzled Duni. "Sorry about today, mom. I'll try and do better next time..."

"Yeah, better luck next time, sweetie."

"Hey, Njano," Kanai called her, standing not far away, "Wanna go unwind by the lake?"

"Sure!" Njano replied, and then turned to Duni, "Is that okay?"

Duni nodded. "Go ahead, and stay out of trouble, please."

Njano and Kanai ran off together, chasing each other and playfully trying to make each other trip.

Erevu watched them go, wondering when those two would start acting their age. He didn't take his eyes off them for quite a while, looking thoughtful. He simply shook his head after a while, and went to look for Imara instead.

* * *

Njano followed Kanai, but stopped when she realized the lioness was taking another route. "Hey, I thought we were going to the lake?"

Kanai shook her head. "I found another cool place to hang out instead, I'll show you. I just didn't want the others to know, I want it to be our secret hideout!"

Njano liked the sound of that, and followed Kanai with enthusiasm.

Kanai led her to a tree with thick branches that looked sturdy enough to support a big cat's weight.

"Are you sure this hasn't been claimed by a leopard already?" Njano said, sniffing around.

"I couldn't find any marks, not up there either."

Njano looked up. She wasn't a very good climber, however, there was a rock next to the tree that they could use to reach the lowest branches.

Kanai was the first one to climb up, by getting on top of the rock, and then jumping on to the trunk. She hung there for a moment, and used her claws to climb up to one of the branches.

"I take it you've done that before, huh?" Njano yelled, and tried to replicate Kanai's moves. It took her a couple of tries, but she made it up the tree eventually.

"Whoo! That was fun... And what a cool view!"

Kanai smiled. "I knew you'd like it here. I was thinking about what you said the other day, you know? About how awesome it would be to have wings and fly like the birds? Well, this ain't flying, but I'm sure you can pretend you are..."

Njano didn't say anything, she simply smiled as she stared into the landscape, looking at the distant herds. She made herself comfortable on her branch by resting her tummy on it while letting her legs hang. Both lionesses fell asleep not long after, as the fatigue from their strenuous test finally caught up with them.

The lionesses kept visiting the tree often after that day. If they found it taken by some other animal already, they would just settle down under its shade. They would then talk for hours, but sometimes they would just simply sit there in silence, resting and enjoying each other's company.

Both Kanai and Njano were now old enough to know the importance of grooming, so they now added extensive grooming sessions to those long talks by the tree.

The whole Pride could tell that they were very close, and they could only feel bad for them, thinking about the moment when Safi and Duni would leave the Pride. They imagined that parting ways would be painful for the two friends.

The young lionesses didn't like to think about that too much. When the time to leave would come, then they'd worry about it, for now they preferred to live one day at a time.

* * *

When Njano had the chance to take another hunting test, she did so poorly that Chiku called the test off right in the middle of her hunting attempt.

"Just what exactly is going through that thick head of yours? A meerkat would have a better chance of bringing down that gazelle than you at this point! I haven't seen such a lousy hunter in my life!" Chiku said as she stormed away, followed by the other lionesses who had been supervising her hunting attempts.

Back at the lair, as the lionesses filled Duni and the rest of the Pride in on how badly Njano had performed, Kanai walked to Njano and whispered, "Wow, did it really go as bad as they're saying?"

"Yup, probably even worse. Oh well. I guess I'm not ready just yet... Need more training and stuff."

Kanai blinked for a moment. She knew Njano well, and she could tell the lioness was acting a bit too nonchalant, for having messed up so badly.

Njano looked at her and couldn't hide a smile lighting up her features. "I think we'll need to stay just a bit longer."

Kanai's eyes widened in surprise. It almost looked as if her friend botched her own exam on purpose, just to fool Duni into thinking they could not leave the Eyasi Pride yet.

"Wanna go to our tree and talk about it?" Kanai whispered, feeling extremely curious as to what motivated Njano to do this.

Njano shook her head. "I sense a motherly lecture coming up. So I'll just stick around here for now..."

Kanai was about to reply, but Nura approached them right at that moment.

"Sorry to hear about your exam, Njano. Better luck next time!" she said sincerely. Then she turned to Kanai and whispered, "Hi, dear, would you go for a walk with me?"

Kanai looked at her. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Nura laughed. "No, not at all. It's just that there's one lesson we haven't talked about yet, but Erevu thinks that now it's a good time to address it."

"Oh... Okay, sure. Let's go then," Kanai replied, and as she walked away with Nura, she glanced over her shoulder, only to see Njano staring intently back at her, with a satisfied expression on her face.


	12. The Secret Bond

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 12: The Secret Bond**

Just as predicted, after the lionesses were done telling Duni about Njano's disastrous test, Duni approached her and whispered, "We need to talk, please come with me."

Njano just let out a deep sigh and followed her mother to a secluded spot where they wouldn't be easily overheard.

"Care to tell me what's going on?" Duni said, sitting next to Njano, looking worried.

"I don't know what you mean, mom. You heard them already, I just made way too many mistakes."

"I may not be able to see, but I'm not dumb. I can tell that you didn't put the smallest amount of effort into today's test, and I want to know why. Are you scared of growing up? Is that it?"

Njano frowned slightly. "What? Um, no, not really, where did you get that from?"

Duni sighed deeply and looked away. "Erevu came to speak with me a few days ago. He told me he was sick and tired from watching you act like a huge cub all the time, when you should already be helping to bring food in, just like the rest of the lionesses. He also doesn't want you to spend that much time with Kanai, who tends to copy your playful behaviour when you're around."

Njano remained very quiet, holding her breath slightly, which puzzled Duni for a moment.

"You're not a cub anymore," Duni went on, "it's time that you start thinking seriously about these lessons. If something were to happen and you had to fend for yourself, you wouldn't stand a chance right now."

"I can hunt rodents just as good as you can, mom. I'm not as weak as you think I am."

"I never said you were weak, sweetie, but if one day you find a mate and you get your own cubs, rodents won't keep your little family going. Even Safi has to hunt bigger prey for me once in a while."

Njano remained silent for a moment, but finally ventured to ask, "What else did Erevu tell you?"

Duni looked thoughtful for a moment. "That was basically it... He just wants Kanai to concentrate more on her learnings without you distracting her with your games all the time."

Both lionesses remained quiet for a moment, until Duni asked, "So if you're not afraid of growing up, why did you throw this test away so badly?"

Njano looked at Duni, biting her lip nervously, but decided to confide in her in the end. "I don't want to leave yet. Passing that test means that I'd be ready to go away, and I don't want that."

Duni looked a bit shocked when she heard this. "Really? But I thought you didn't like it here. I mean, we didn't end up in the friendliest of Prides, you and I both know that very well. I always thought you'd much rather go and seek adventures somewhere else."

Njano lay down on her tummy, followed by Duni, who looked very confused.

"I was looking forward to go, mom. But... Things change, you know? I just want to stay a bit longer, that's all..."

Duni tilted her head, thinking hard about what could have made Njano change her mind so drastically. As far as she could tell, the lionesses still showed her little acceptance, and they were very quick in losing their temper with her. Erevu never built any sort of bond with Njano either. What could possibly have made her want to stay? It was then when realization hit her.

"Oh, dear. It's Kanai, isn't it?"

"What about her?" Njano asked a bit too quickly, holding her breath again.

Duni stood up, walking in circles, trying to come to grips with the situation.

"This is very serious, Njano... You do realize that, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about mom, she's my friend, that's all," Njano replied, sounding slightly nervous. Duni picked up on it clearly, confirming her suspicions.

The lioness sat down next to Njano again, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. "My dear... I know you two have really bonded, I know she's your best friend and partner in crime. But she's also a lioness, and she is already betrothed to Imara. Can't you see that what you are feeling is just not meant to be?"

Njano swallowed with difficulty, admiring how this blind lioness could still see right through her as easily as if she was just peering into her soul. "I know that, mom," Njano admitted in the end, "It's not right, I know. Don't worry, she doesn't know about this. No one knows. I'm sure it'll pass..."

Duni shook her head slightly. "We should leave as soon as possible... Safi is right, between him and I we can teach you how to hunt, but we must leave now."

"No!" Njano said, standing up quickly, "I don't want to leave, not yet. Just the thought of going away and not seeing her again makes me want to die... I can't explain it, it just does."

"Don't you see? The sooner we nip this in the bud, the better! Won't it be as painful to stick around, knowing that what you wish for is not going to happen? Not in a million years?"

Njano quickly dried a couple of tears that had formed in her eyes. "I'll take my chances. I'll leave when she becomes the leader and seals her engagement with Imara. You and Safi can go ahead if you want, but I'll catch up with you guys later."

Duni walked to her. "Do you think Erevu will simply allow you to stay? He's already losing his patience with you."

Njano shrugged. "S'worth a try... I don't want to leave her, not yet..."

There was an awkward moment of silence between them, but Njano finally said, "You must really hate me now... You must think I'm a freak or something..."

Duni looked up. "I don't hate you, Njano. When I was younger and craving for a cub, I always said that I would love it no matter what. I wouldn't care if it was blind, deaf, mute, unhealthy and sickly. I was blessed with a healthy and smart cub instead, granted, a very troublesome one, but I loved it all the same. And I still do, very, very much. I just think that you're making a huge mistake that will only backfire on you later and cause you more pain."

Njano couldn't help but smile, grateful for her mother's understanding of the situation. "I'm willing to take the risk, mom. Please let me stay a bit longer, please?"

Duni rubbed her right temple with a paw, feeling a headache creeping up on her. "It's your choice, Njano. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Njano gave her a head-butt and licked her cheek lovingly. "Thanks... I think I'll go for a walk... My head's about to explode at the moment, I could use some time alone."

Duni nodded and returned the kiss. "All right... Stay safe..."

The lioness stayed put on her spot long after Njano's footsteps had already faded in the distance. Duni desperately wanted to talk to someone about this, to find out whether this kind of situation had already come up in the past. The lionesses in a Pride were usually very close, some more than others, and no one thought anything about two good friends grooming each other and spending time together. But Duni had no idea whether anybody had crossed beyond the line of friendship, and whether the Pride would react negatively to that.

In the end, she decided against asking around, for fear of giving Njano's feelings away, but Duni kept praying that Njano would see the light of reason and leave before she'd make things more difficult on herself and on Kanai.

* * *

Several weeks had passed, and Kanai was finally ready for her First Hunt. She was away for a long time, but when she finally returned to the lair, she was carrying the body of a gazelle.

The lionesses roared in celebration and congratulated the new huntress. Kanai presented her catch to Erevu, who nodded in approval. He gave the first bite, and then returned the gazelle to Kanai so that she could either eat it on her own, or share with her pride-mates.

Kanai felt in a sharing mood, so the Pride gathered round the food and they all ate together, in high spirits. She even saved something for Safi and Duni, who as of lately tended to eat on their own.

Njano was looking forward to hang out with her for a while and hear all about her First Hunt, but Nura took Kanai away right after they were done eating, so the lioness had no choice but to entertain herself in the meantime.

She sat there for a moment, listening idly to the lionesses' conversation. Faiza and Etana had both given birth to one cub each, and Damisi was also heavy with cub. Most of the talk revolved around the little ones, and Njano, feeling little or no connection with the new mothers, simply decided to retreat to her favorite tree and perhaps take a nap.

She had finally made herself comfortable on one of the branches, but was awakened all of a sudden by footsteps, and what sounded like Kanai mumbling to herself.

Njano almost fell down the tree when she lost her balance after trying to get up quickly. Steadying herself, she climbed down the tree and went to greet Kanai.

"Oh, I didn't know you'd be here," the lioness said, looking visibly agitated.

"Do you want me to leave? Just say so."

Kanai looked at her and shook her head. "No, no... I'm sorry. I'm just so incredibly angry..."

"What happened?" Njano asked.

Kanai sat down next to her. "You know mom had that talk with me some weeks ago, about how cubs are made and such, right?"

Njano nodded. She had already had the same talk with Duni a bit earlier than Kanai. They both found it disgusting at the time, and the two young lionesses had quite a good laugh grossing each other out by trying to imagine how mating would be like.

"Well," Kanai went on, "It turns out that the whole _being the leader _thing also includes me being betrothed to Imara since birth! Can you imagine? I will have to get married to him, and make cubs that will take our place once we're no longer fit to rule the Pride!"

Njano didn't look surprised at all, which made Kanai even angrier. "You knew about this?"

Njano tilted her head, looking confused. "Of course I knew. Everyone knows about it. It was no secret, Erevu announced it loud and clear as soon as Nura returned to the Pride after giving birth... I really had no idea you didn't know about it."

Kanai cursed under her breath and paced to and fro, clearly upset. "Well I just had a major freak out moment with mom. She told me I'd learn to accept it in time, maybe I'd even learn to love Imara. Bleh, I never really liked him, he's such a sissy."

Njano couldn't help but chuckle. "My mother says she didn't feel love for Safi, and he hated her guts as a cub, and look at them now, they're really happy together."

"Yes, but they chose each other, that's different... I don't think I could ever feel attracted to Imara at all..."

"Maybe in time you'll learn to love him, just like Safi and mom learned to love each other, who knows?"

Kanai looked at Njano. "How does one know, anyway? How can you tell when you're in love with someone?"

Njano looked away. "How in the world would I know?"

Kanai was taken aback slightly. "Well, what do you think it would be like?"

Njano took a deep breath. "I dunno... Like, you wake up one day and all you can do is think about him, and when you see him, your stomach does this funny turn and your mood lightens up, and you always have a good time together, and when you part ways at the end of the day, you miss him so much it hurts, and you can't wait till morning comes to see him again. Rinse and repeat."

Kanai let out a deep breath and remained very silent.

Njano glanced at her, wondering what was going through her mind. "You okay?"

Kanai nodded, as she gave her a little smile. "Yes, yes... It's just... I kind of feel that way already, sort of, but not about Imara. It makes this whole betrothal thing sound even more disgusting than before."

Njano looked at her, and couldn't stop herself from asking, "Who is it?"

"Oh, nobody..." Kanai replied nervously.

"Is it Erevu?" Njano kept pressing on, sounding a bit too eager to find out.

"Yuck, no!"

Njano pondered for a short moment, and her eyes widened for a second. "Oh, my... Did you meet a rogue at the borders?"

Kanai let out a loud laugh. "If I had, I'd have called you immediately, so you could ask him all those questions you wanted to ask, about far away lands..."

Njano smiled, trying to keep her nerves at bay. "Well... That just leaves us with Safi then... Did he catch your eye?"

Kanai chuckled. "Nah... He's nice and all, but that's about it."

The lioness looked at Njano, and took a step forward.

Njano swallowed with difficulty, but remained silent, trying not to lead herself into believing that Kanai might also feel the same way she did.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to freak out?" Kanai asked.

Njano nodded in reply, as her heart skipped a beat.

Kanai then whispered in Njano's ear, "I think I may be in love with my best friend."

Njano closed her eyes, as she felt her head spinning for a moment.

Kanai looked at her, unsure about how to interpret Njano's reaction. "You're freaking out, aren't you."

Njano shook her head. "No, I just... I had no idea you felt that way, it's quite a surprise."

Kanai looked at her, shifting her weight from side to side nervously. "How about you? How do you see me, Njano? Am I just a good friend and nothing more? Please, be honest..."

Njano's eyes began to tear up. "I've been in love with you since you learned how to say my name. I never said anything, because I, unlike you, knew about your betrothal, and, well, of course, you and I being lionesses, it's all just too weird. I didn't want to make things more difficult. Things are hard enough for you already as it is."

Kanai listened intently. She had suspected something already, from the way Njano looked at her sometimes, and from how gentle and caring she was towards her.

"Nobody has to know. We will keep this a secret. Our secret. We can keep on hanging out together, and nuzzling each other and grooming each other and no one will ever have to know what it all means to us," she said, drying Njano's tears with her tongue.

"Erevu already warned my mother he doesn't want me around you. Do you think he suspects something?"

Kanai frowned for a moment. "I wouldn't think so. He just thinks I'm goofing around too much lately. But I'll keep hanging out with you whether he likes it or not."

Njano gave her a sad smile, and lay down on her belly, resting her head on her paws.

Kanai lay down close to her. "Hey, what's the matter? I thought it would make you glad to know we both feel this way. Why aren't you happy?"

"Because it's not meant to be. You'll get married, and I'll leave this Pride... It won't last."

"Then we might as well make the best of it while we can, don't you think?" Kanai replied, snuggling closer, "I say we start by taking a nap together. C'mon, please, just hold me close."

Njano shifted position as she wrapped one forepaw around her friend, while Kanai tucked her head under Njano's chin.

They didn't say anything else after that. Kanai's breathing became very slow, a sign that the lioness was fast asleep, but there was no way Njano could fall asleep right now. She simply lay there, smiling to herself as tears kept streaming down her face, enjoying this bittersweet moment, hoping it could last forever.

* * *

Njano and Kanai kept their secret well. Njano didn't tell Duni about the developments of the situation either; she didn't want her to worry.

The two lionesses still spent a lot of time together, but they were always very subdued when around the Pride. But once they were alone by their tree, away from prying eyes, they would constantly nuzzle and groom each other, lying close together.

Njano was on her own one morning, practicing stalking. While she had been doing a good job at it lately, today her heart was not into the lesson at all. She was feeling snappy and couldn't stop herself from talking back to Adla, who was teaching her that day.

"I'm sorry, Adla, I didn't mean it, I just don't know what got into me today," she quickly apologized.

Adla approached her and nuzzled her gently, sniffing her face in the process. "It looks like you'll be in season shortly. That explains why you're feeling so moody."

Njano's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Already? What if I don't want any cubs yet?"

Adla chuckled. "Then you don't ask the males for assistance. I'll tell you what, let's stop the lesson here. You go and find yourself a quiet spot where you can hide until it's over. Don't worry about your mother and Kanai, I'll let them know you'll be gone for a few days."

Njano nodded, remembering what Duni had taught her about this subject. "Okay, thanks... See you later."

The lioness decided to take refuge by the abandoned cave, which the wild dogs had vacated once again just a few weeks ago. She sniffed around just to make sure that no one else had claimed the cave yet, but the marks from the wild dogs were old and faded, so once she was sure it was safe, the lioness lied down, feeling a bit nervous about what was to come.

Duni had already warned her that this was quite a difficult time for a lioness, but since Njano had no desire to bear cubs yet, she hoped that this thought would make the loneliness more bearable, and would fuel her strength, in case Safi or Erevu managed to find her.

It was late into the night when Njano realized how much she was craving the company of a male. In a moment of weakness, she even called around to see if there were any rogues nearby. Luckily for her, no one answered her calls, and Njano spent the next couple of hours pacing inside the cave, while rubbing her body against the rocky walls.

She was too distracted rubbing her face against a rock that she failed to notice someone approaching. She finally jumped back, looking startled, when she saw the silhouette of Kanai standing at the entrance of the cave.

Njano was unsure what to do in this case. She was glad to see her, there was no denying that, but at the same time, she felt it would be better if she went away.

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to be here..." Njano finally told her.

"I know... But the way they described things to me, it looks like you could use some company..."

Kanai walked closer and nuzzled Njano gently for a moment, but Njano shook her head and walked away. "Just nuzzling is not enough. I'm sorry, Kanai. I'm in a rotten mood, and I'm really snappy right now. Maybe it's better if you just leave, and let me handle this on my own, before I say something nasty that I'll regret later."

Kanai hesitated for a moment, but she was determined to help her as much as she could.

"Wanna know a secret?" Kanai said, ignoring Njano's moodiness, "I accidentally walked in on Erevu and Damisi, when she was in season."

Njano snarled slightly as she paced to and fro, rubbing herself against the rock again. "Good for you..."

"I didn't stay to watch for too long, but I did see how things kinda went, and what he was doing to make her bad mood disappear."

Njano didn't reply, she simply kept on pacing, looking upset. She was not in the mood for chitchat, and was doing her best not to snap at Kanai.

Kanai walked closer to Njano. "Stop pacing and close your eyes."

"Kanai, I-"

"Just do it!"

Njano growled deeply, but did as she was told. She closed her eyes impatiently and stood still for a moment.

Kanai took a quick look around, to make sure there was no one spying on them, and she started sniffing Njano's face.

Njano's scent didn't have any particular effect on Kanai, like it would have had on a male lion, but she was still enjoying herself, knowing that she could help Njano through her season, while keeping her company. She continued sniffing, and the hot air from Kanai's breath on Njano's face was enough to send shivers down the lioness's spine.

"That's it... Just let yourself go, and let me help you," Kanai insisted, as she proceeded to sniff Njano's neck and shoulders, just as Erevu had done with Damisi at some point.

Kanai smiled as she saw Njano's mood changing. She was no longer growling, on the contrary, she was clearly enjoying herself, softly begging her for more.

Kanai proceeded to bite her on the neck. Seeing Njano's extremely positive response, Kanai kept nipping and biting, until Njano finally surrendered to her.

Kanai looked at her, puzzled as to how to continue now. "Heh, I think this is as far as I can go, you know... I mean... Without a... You know..." she giggled.

But Njano did not move or laugh, she appeared to be entranced, as if waiting for Kanai to finish what she started.

Kanai pondered for a moment, and taking a deep breath, she muttered to herself, "Um, well, here goes nothing, I guess..."

Kanai continued mimicking what Erevu had done, not sure that it would work at all, but Njano eventually snapped out of her trance and let herself flop on the hard rock floor, looking more relaxed. She could not experience the pain and joy that comes from mating with a male, but whatever Kanai had done, it certainly had done wonders for her mood and state of mind.

Njano looked at Kanai calmly, and motioned her to come closer.

Kanai smiled and lay down next to her.

"And to think I was this close to chasing you away..." Njano muttered, while grooming Kanai lovingly.

"I guess it worked, then? I wasn't sure, you know..."

"It's probably not the same, but just feeling you so close to me, holding me down like that... It was the best thing I've ever felt. Thanks for coming to help me."

"I'll be expecting you to help me out too, when my time comes," Kanai said, looking serious.

Njano lifted her head and looked at her. "Huh? Aren't you supposed to go to Imara for that?"

"Forget Imara. I want to spend my first season together with you, just like this."

Njano grinned and carried on grooming Kanai. "Then so be it... You can do the sealing of the bond thing during your second season then."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Kanai replied, chuckling to herself, "Erevu and Nura are still in pretty good health, so there's no rush. Maybe I'll even wait for my third season."

They remained quiet for a while, holding each other close. The only sound that could be heard were the rain drops that had started to fall.

"Hmm, looks like now it's a good time for me to head back," Kanai whispered as she stood up, "The rain will conveniently wash your scent off me. But I'll come back tomorrow, is that okay?"

"I'll be waiting right here for you," Njano replied.

The lionesses licked each other's cheek one last time, before they parted ways. Njano tried to get some sleep, now that she felt a lot calmer, but the events of the night kept playing through her mind and making her heart race again. In the end, she remained wide awake, wishing for Kanai to return to her as soon as possible, just to hold her close once more.


	13. Anything for Love

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 13: Anything for Love**

Njano returned to the Pride a few days later. No one gave any signs of knowing that Kanai had been sneaking away to visit her, even Duni didn't suspect anything. Njano was afraid that her mother would detect Kanai's scent on her, but Duni simply welcomed her back, glad to hear that she managed to pull through her season without a male's help.

Safi and Duni slowly began to distance themselves from the Pride, even though Adla would often invite them to come over and relax along with the rest. Duni would still spend time with the lionesses, but Safi would prefer to take long walks on his own, scouting the borders and looking for possible rogue lionesses that might want to join him and Duni eventually.

Njano herself had been doing a lot of thinking about what she wanted to do with her life. While there had been a time when she wanted nothing more than to go away and explore other territories, nowadays the desire to remain close to Kanai had changed her mind. It had also helped her focus on her learning. Njano decided she would try her best this time, and perhaps in time Erevu would see in her a valuable asset to his pride, and would not kick her out the moment Safi and Duni decided to leave.

As such, Njano finally started paying attention to the lessons, and even though she was still easily distracted, hoping to be able to stay with Kanai turned out to be a good incentive for her, and in the end she managed to pass her third attempt at a hunting test, with reasonably good marks.

Duni was extremely happy when she heard the good news, and showered Njano with licks and kisses, feeling very proud of her daughter.

"Adla wants me to have my First Hunt as soon as possible, since I'm way overdue," Njano told her, once Duni had calmed down.

Duni nodded, "She has a point... Any idea how soon it will be?"

"No, not yet," Njano replied, "She just said she'd discuss it with the rest, and would let me know."

Duni nuzzled her again, looking extremely pleased. Njano couldn't remember the last time her mother looked so happy, and she couldn't help but sigh as she nuzzled Duni back. Njano wanted to tell her about her intentions to stay with the Eyasi Pride, but seeing Duni so content right now made Njano get cold feet, and she kept her plans to herself instead.

The lionesses finally chose a day for Njano to have her First Hunt, and before she knew it, the big day had finally come. The Pride sincerely wished her good luck; even Chiku seemed excited for her. They all lined up to give her a quick nuzzle, while Kanai waited patiently for her turn at the end of the queue.

When Njano saw Kanai standing in front of her, she wanted nothing more than to chase her around playfully and pounce on her, but for now a nuzzle would have to do.

Kanai nuzzled her back and whispered softly, "Good luck, and take care out there, you promise?"

"I promise," Njano replied, giving her the smallest of kisses before they broke the nuzzle.

It was then Erevu's turn to wish the new huntress good luck. The lion stared at Njano with a serious expression, as if he was looking at a total stranger. "Make sure you bring something back home. Don't disappoint me and your teachers again," he said coldly.

Njano looked at him and nodded silently, trying to stay on his good side. "I'll try my best."

With a final roar, the lioness bid good-bye to her pride-mates and headed towards the hunting grounds. Finding something to hunt would not be difficult, since the grasses were green and the herds were plentiful. So it would all come down to her hunting abilities, and Njano couldn't help feeling nervous, knowing what was at stake.

If she failed, she wasn't too sure what would happen then. Erevu's coldness towards her was a clear indication that his patience was running very low. So Njano was determined to do her best, and with that thought in mind, she began stalking the herds, trying to single out her prey.

"There it is," she thought, as she stared at a zebra that was distracted, grazing with her back towards her. Njano inched towards her slowly, proving to everyone that when her mind was into it, she could stalk like any other huntress in the Pride. As she finally gave chase, the startled zebra let out a scream of terror, and the herd began to scatter.

"It's now or never, let's go!" Njano encouraged herself as she ran after the zebra with all her might. The lioness came within pouncing distance, and tackled her target to the ground. She had already tackled a few animals during her lessons before, but she had never given them the killing bite. For a brief moment she felt unsure of where to close her jaws on, but her instincts took over, and it was all over for the zebra quickly after.

The Pride hadn't expected Njano to return so soon, so it was quite a surprise for everyone when Bahiya announced her return with a loud, happy roar.

* * *

While Njano was busy with her First Hunt, Kanai went to spend the rest of the day together with Imara, practically forced by Erevu, who deemed necessary that they got to know each other better if they were going to run the Pride together at some point. They were both sitting down, facing each other, while Erevu lingered nearby, keeping an eye on them.

"So... it's a very pretty day today, isn't it?" Imara asked, clearly not knowing what to talk about with Kanai.

"Could be better," she shrugged, wondering how long Erevu was intending to keep her here.

"Um..." Imara replied, visibly nervous, "How you've been lately anyway? Looking forward to ruling the Pride sometime?"

Kanai looked at him as she rolled her eyes. "No, not really. I don't mind being the leader, it's some of the _perks _that come with it that I'm not too fond of."

Imara remained quiet, not comfortable with her hostility, and feeling that he had ran out of things to say. He found this little gathering as awkward as Kanai did.

"Tell me," Kanai whispered to him all of a sudden, "Are you actually happy with this arrangement? Isn't there another lioness you'd rather spend your time with?"

Imara shrugged. "I think you're a really fun lioness to hang out with, when you're not being snappy for no reason. Besides, it's a sacrifice we have to make for the well-being of the Pride. What we think or feel about it doesn't matter."

Kanai was surprised by his response. Imara used to be more shy and would rarely give her any insight about his feelings. "You're wrong," she added, "I bet all it takes is just one couple of lions who refuse to carry on with this dumb tradition and then-"

"Then they'll be banished from the Pride, simple as that," Imara interrupted, "If that's the way _you _want to go, then go ahead. I'll just wait right here for the next heiress to be born."

Kanai went very quiet for a moment. "Banishment? Is that the price to pay for refusing to marry the leader's son?"

Imara glanced at Erevu for a moment. "He's spoken about death sentences and such, but I think he's just trying to scare us into getting married."

Kanai tried to stifle a chuckle. "Sounds like Erevu, all right. Lucky for me, if he were to banish me, I already know of someone that would take me in..."

Imara was about to inquire more, but at that moment Kanai heard Bahiya's roar, announcing Njano's return. The lioness stood up quickly and blurted out, "I'm really sorry to cut our forced meeting short, but I gotta go! See you later!"

Kanai ran off to welcome Njano and see what she hunted, leaving Imara and Erevu alone. Erevu approached his son, shaking his head.

"I told you, Father, she's really not interested in me at all. Her attitude's only gotten worse ever since you told us about the betrothal," Imara said, shaking himself as he stood up.

"She'll get over it. They all do in the end," Erevu said, "Nura didn't want to marry me either, but eventually she still accepted her position as leader of the Pride. Anyway, let's go see what that klutz managed to hunt..."

Imara chuckled slightly as he walked along with Erevu. "You really can't stand Njano, can you?"

Erevu snarled in reply. "Her presence here is a mistake. Besides, she's caused nothing but trouble, to me and to the Pride. I'll be more than glad the day she and her useless mother finally move out along with that idiot Safi."

"Well, you're the leader, right? Can't you just kick them out if you want?"

Erevu sat down for a moment and looked at Imara. "Adla is very protective of Duni and her lot. She'd be extremely upset if I kick them out before Duni thinks it's safe to go away. Since it's in my best interest to keep the alpha lioness happy, I let them stay for now."

"How come Adla is still the alpha lioness, and not Nura?"

"My father used to say that it was a combination of many factors that made the lionesses follow one particular member of the Pride. Adla is very strong, fierce, and commands respect just by staring at you, and she's probably one of the best huntresses out there. Her words carry a lot of weight, and if she were to turn against me, for whatever reason, the lionesses would probably follow her lead faster than they would follow mine."

"So what you're saying is that sometimes you have to do a few things to keep the alpha happy, just so she won't turn against you, even if you don't agree with her?"

Erevu nodded. "Indeed. The lionesses usually don't ask for much, but if you're unlucky, you might get a strange request from them. Take Duni, for example. Adla was pregnant when she found her as a cub. Chances are Adla would have ignored the cub if she hadn't been expecting. But that's how we ended up with a blind lioness in our Pride. My own Father couldn't say no to Adla's request."

Imara appeared very thoughtful, as he took in his father's teachings. "When do you draw the line then? When are you supposed to stand up to the alpha, if you don't approve of what she's asking?"

"I can't think of anything I'd deny to Adla for now, other than bringing in another blind or sick cub into the Pride. However, I think the lionesses would actually side with me on that one," he added with a chuckle, "So I have no idea, to be totally honest. I suppose I'll find out if that situation ever arises. Come on, let's go home now. They're all probably waiting for me to check out Njano's first catch."

Both lions made their way to the lair, where the Pride had indeed been waiting for them.

Njano presented the zebra to Erevu, looking proud of herself. The lion studied the prey carefully and nodded without saying a word. He simply took a nibble off it, as it was customary, and then went to sit down by the shade of the trees, leaving the lioness to do with her first prey as she wished.

Njano decided to share her catch with the Pride, hoping the lionesses would be less hostile with her from now on, now that she had finally managed to prove herself.

Kanai ate next to Njano, teasing her playfully every now and then by stealing some of her meat. Njano would pretend to snarl, but she actually kept saving the tastiest bits for her friend.

Once she had had her fill, Njano retreated to groom herself, and Duni approached her not long after.

"That's the tastiest zebra I've ever eaten," she told her, still feeling proud of her daughter.

As Duni nuzzled Njano, she detected a hint of nervousness on her scent.

"Are you feeling all right, dear?"

Njano hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "Mom, I'm about to ask Erevu for permission to stay."

Duni stopped nuzzling her and stared at the ground sadly. "Are you still pursuing that impossible dream?"

Njano couldn't help smiling to herself. "Yes, mom. What's the worst that could happen? There's nothing to lose. If he doesn't accept, then I'll just leave, as planned..." she said, giving Duni a gentle lick on the cheek. She then picked up a left-over zebra haunch with her muzzle. "Wish me luck!" Njano mumbled through her mouth full, and walked away in the direction where Erevu was resting.

* * *

While the lionesses were resting and napping after the satisfying meal, Duni located Adla and asked to speak with her in private.

Adla walked with her, wondering what was wrong.

"Could you please make sure there is no one else around? What I have to ask you is very delicate, and I don't want to be overheard..."

Adla searched the area, confirming that they were alone. She sat next to Duni, looking worried. "What's the matter? Are you and Safi having problems?"

Duni shook her head. "No, no, it's just something that's been on my mind for a while already, I just need to talk to someone about it, and I know I can trust you to keep a secret..."

"Duni, you're scaring me... What's going on?"

Duni bit her lip nervously, not sure how to word her question. "Has there ever been... I mean, have you ever heard about two lionesses... You know?"

Adla tilted her head. "I'm afraid I'm not following you, sweetie."

"I mean..." Duni said, but shook her head quickly, trying to organize her thoughts. "Okay, I'll just say it... Have you heard about two lionesses falling in love? As in... with each other?"

Adla's ears drooped for a moment. There had to be a reason why Duni was inquiring about this, and her mind was racing with all sorts of possible theories, the most obvious one being Njano and her closest friend Kanai.

"Well? Have you?" Duni insisted, waiting impatiently for her to answer.

Adla shook her head. "I haven't heard of such situation arising in our Pride. If it's happened, then it has remained very well hidden."

"But if it were to happen, do you think the Pride would disapprove?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. The lionesses might be able to look past it, but Erevu probably would get angry, even more so if it concerns the future leader Kanai."

Duni gasped for a moment, amazed at how quickly she deduced what was going on.

"For all you know, he could feel deeply insulted, or he could not care at all."

Duni remained silent, as her left eye began to tear up. "Would you disapprove?"

Adla held her breath for a moment as she contemplated the situation. "It depends, I guess. I think I'd be more strict if it were to involve the future leaders of the Pride. They both have a role to fulfill and sometimes we have to look past what we want and focus on our roles, to keep our Pride steady and secure."

Duni looked away, nodding silently.

"If it helps to ease your worries a bit, I haven't seen anything strange going on between Njano and Kanai," Adla told her, "They're just two good friends who enjoy spending time together. I do that with Bahiya all the time, and no one thinks we're in love because of that. Could it be that you're misinterpreting Njano's actions?"

Duni shrugged, deciding in the spur of the moment to keep to herself the fact that Njano had already confessed her feelings for Kanai. "Maybe you're right, maybe I'm just misreading Njano's behaviour. I just thought they spent way too much time together. But if you say it's normal and every lioness does it, then I shouldn't worry too much..."

Adla smiled. "We all have our best friends. Chiku and Damisi hang out together all the time. Etana, Faiza and Gasira always sit together and groom each other, even more now that they have cubs. We all snuggle against each other to keep warm at night. There's nothing wrong in that, Duni. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Duni nodded, trying hard to keep her tears in. "Thanks for the talk Adla, I feel a lot better now," she lied.

"Would you like to head back now?" Adla asked.

Duni nodded and they returned to the lair. Duni lay down next to Adla, trying not to look too worried and pretending to sleep. She wished with all her might that Erevu would deny her daughter's request, to spare Njano the pain and heart-ache.

* * *

Njano approached Erevu, who was staring sleepily in the direction of the Pride. He glanced towards the lioness and frowned slightly when she sat down nearby.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Njano dropped the haunch she had been carrying in her muzzle, right in front of him. The lioness was visibly nervous. Erevu, now a fully-grown adult lion, was very imposing, and since she didn't know him well at all, she wasn't even sure how to address him.

"Hi... I thought maybe you'd like something to eat. I decided to share my catch with the rest, so I saved this for you," she said, trying to sound polite.

"I'm not hungry, thanks," he replied, looking bored.

Njano tried not to look too discouraged at his rejection, and tried again. "Oh, that's okay, maybe for later then. Er... I was wondering if I could have a talk with you... Is that possible?"

Erevu lifted his head and looked straight into her eyes. Njano quickly looked away, which pleased him.

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

Njano cleared her throat. "Safi and Duni want to leave soon, but I wanted to ask your permission to stay."

Erevu frowned for a moment and he sat up straight. "Why in the world would I want to do that?"

"Well... I've finally learned how to hunt, as you can see... I thought, I could help bring in food-"

"I already have enough huntresses who are a thousand times better than you are. I have no use for you in my Pride."

Njano swallowed with difficulty. "There must be something I can do, please, just give me a chance."

Erevu circled her thoughtfully. "Why do you want to stay anyway? The Pride doesn't even like you. Wouldn't it be better for you to start a new life somewhere else?"

"I'm getting along better with the Pride now," Njano replied, trying to keep her eyes from watering, "Just ask them! Besides... I was born here, this is my home..."

Erevu felt something didn't add up. He already suspected that there was something very strange about Njano's sudden desperate wish to stay. There had to be a very good reason for her to even want to ditch her own, blind mother, and stay in a Pride where nobody thought much of her. Nobody, except Kanai. Clueless as to how close the two lionesses really were, Erevu's most logical explanation was that perhaps Njano had feelings for Imara, and that was the reason why Kanai kept rejecting him. It made sense to him.

Erevu couldn't tell for sure that his suspicions were right, but he made a mental note to keep an eye on the three of them in the days to come. In the meantime, he kept circling Njano, while enjoying her nervous disposition. The lionesses of his Pride were all strong and confident, and he would never dare to bully one of them. But Njano, who ranked at the bottom of the Pride just right above Duni, was very submissive towards him. The lioness' attitude awoke again in Erevu the desire to assert his dominance and have some fun at Njano's expense.

"Please," Njano insisted, seeing Erevu so thoughtful all of a sudden, "I'll work extra hard, I'll do anything the Pride and you ask of me."

"Anything?" Erevu asked, looking intently at her, wondering how far she'd go to be able to stay.

Njano nodded. "I'll hunt twice as hard and I can look for rodents, just like my mother taught me, when food goes scarce... I can swim really well and catch fish! I'm also not too bad at climbing trees, and I even could learn to cub-sit, if the lionesses trust me with the task at some point... Please?"

Erevu took a step forward, sizing Njano. "Hmm. If I'm not mistaken, you're old enough to have had your first season already," he told her flatly, as if he hadn't heard a word she just said.

Njano's eyes opened wide, not liking at all where this conversation was heading. She just had promised him she'd do anything, would she have to eat her words so soon?

"Well?" he insisted.

Njano stared at the ground. "I- Well... Yes, I did... But the thing is... I hadn't even passed my hunting test yet, so I didn't feel ready at all to raise a cub."

Erevu nodded. "It was a wise decision and I happen to agree with you. As a matter of fact, I'd have refused to assist you if you had come to ask me for help."

Njano remained quiet, getting more nervous by the second, which only incited Erevu to keep on going.

"But you're not in season now, and you can't get any cubs..." he whispered close to her face.

"I... I suppose so..."

Erevu walked away and as he did so, he turned to look over his shoulder. "There might be something you can do for me that the other lionesses won't. I'll be waiting for you tonight by the waterhole in the hunting grounds, and we'll then discuss your proposal. Don't tell anyone you're meeting me there."

The lion walked away without another word, leaving Njano alone with her zebra haunch. She was in a state of shock, her heart beating so fast that she even had to lay down for a moment. She looked around, but no one gave any signs of having heard what Erevu had just suggested.

She stayed on the same spot for what seemed like hours, pondering what to do, and she jumped startled when all of a sudden Kanai nuzzled her and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Hey you, wanna go to our tree?"

Njano looked up, and her heart sank to see that already the stars were visible in the sky. She then looked at Kanai, who was staring back at her with a curious expression.

Njano stood up, looking deep into her eyes, staring at that face that would brighten up her day no matter how bad it had been. She would certainly do anything to spend the rest of her life next to Kanai, and Njano knew then what she had to do to make it happen.

"Not tonight... I'm having a huge headache, I think I'll just retreat for a bit and go sleep somewhere quiet until it goes away."

Kanai looked a bit deflated. "Oh... Are you sure a grooming session won't make it better? I promise I won't yap and I'll let you sleep."

Njano shook her head. "I'll look for you once I feel better... Okay?"

"Fine... I'll be hanging out with the rest of the group then, unless Erevu has more brilliant ideas... Can you imagine? He actually set up a date for Imara and myself earlier today! Needless to say it didn't work out at all, so- Er... I'm yapping, aren't I?"

Njano smiled and nodded.

Kanai laughed slightly and understood why Njano wanted to be on her own. "Okay, okay, I'll see you later, hope you feel better soon."

They both nuzzled each other good-bye, and Njano watched as Kanai returned to the lair and settled down between Adla and Nura. Breathing deeply, Njano turned around and headed towards the hunting grounds with a determined look on her face.

Her determination faltered slightly when she saw Erevu's silhouette by the waterhole, but she knew she just had to get through this. She kept repeating to herself that it was part of growing up. It's what lions and lionesses do. It was no big deal.

She gathered courage again and approached the lion, whispering softly, "I'm here..."

Erevu turned to look at her, slightly surprised that she actually showed up.


	14. A Somber Future

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 14: A Somber Future**

Njano sat on her own by the edge of the waterhole. She was soaking wet, after taking a plunge in the cold water; Erevu had ordered her to wash his scent off her.

Her mind kept going over what just happened, while she tried to dry herself as much as she could with her tongue.

Erevu had been very clear in stating that the decision came down to her and her only. He was not forcing her to do anything. He simply reminded her how she had asked whether there was something else she could do that the other lionesses couldn't or wouldn't, and this was it.

Njano kept repeating to herself that it was all worth it, just to stay by Kanai's side, and in the end she had agreed to Erevu's terms.

It all took less than a minute, but mating for the first time, and outside her season, resulted in an extremely painful experience for Njano, and she couldn't help crying from pain when Erevu was done.

He had done nothing to comfort her, he simply tended to himself and told her to go wash herself.

Her only consolation was that when Erevu had gotten what he wanted from her and decided to return to the lair, he told her he was very pleased and he would consider her proposal, and would let her know of his decision.

The lioness took a deep breath and shook the excess water off her pelt. She knew Duni must be worried sick, so she stood up reluctantly, and made her way back to the lair. She could already see Duni pacing back and forth in the distance, sniffing the air intently, while Safi tried to reassure her. Njano quickened her pace and went to meet her.

Duni sighed in relief when she heard Njano approaching. "There you are! I was so worried, where were you all this time?"

"I told you, I went to have a talk with Erevu..."

"Yes, but he returned quite a while ago already."

"I went for a quick swim afterwards. Sorry, I didn't mean to get you all worked up."

Duni nuzzled Njano, and noticed that her fur was still very moist in some places. "C'mon, lie down, let me dry you up a bit more."

Njano lay down in front of Duni, who then started grooming her ears and neck. Safi also lay down further away, staring distractedly in their direction. Njano looked away and winced as Duni's rough tongue brushed against her nape, which was still sensitive from her encounter with Erevu. She pulled away slightly.

Duni didn't notice and just carried on grooming for a while, but in the end curiosity got the best of her and whispered, "So... What did he say?"

"We had a long talk about why I thought I'd be useful to the Pride, so I spent some time trying to convince him of my abilities. He said he would think about it, so I guess all I can do now is wait."

Duni listened intently. "Sounds like it went better than I thought... I honestly thought he'd immediately send you away with a bite and a snarl."

Njano faked a chuckle. "Yeah... I guess I was worth his time, after all."

Duni could pick on the fact that Njano was not very happy at the moment, and she had the feeling that she was not being totally honest with her.

"Would you like to take a walk with me and talk about this some more?" she offered.

Njano looked at her, completely sure that Duni already suspected something was not right. While she was dying to confide in her and to be comforted, Njano shook her head in the end. "No, no, it's okay, mom. Sorry if I seem kinda gloomy... I was just hoping I'd hear his decision right away. Now I have no idea how long I have to wait..."

Duni nodded understandingly. "The uncertainty must be killing you..."

They both remained quiet for a while, while Njano glanced around, trying to locate Kanai. She couldn't see her anywhere.

"I wonder where Kanai is, I suppose you wouldn't know?" Njano asked after a while.

"She was playing with the cubs earlier, and then Imara invited her to go for a walk, that's all I know."

"Oh..." Njano replied, looking around again and confirming that Imara was nowhere to be seen either.

The lioness curled up into a ball, while Duni continued grooming her.

"I was wondering, sweetie... Have you already told Kanai how you feel?" Duni whispered, but Njano pretended to be asleep to avoid the question.

Duni stopped grooming Njano, seeing no response from her daughter except for a slight shiver every now and then. She cuddled her instead, to try and give her some warmth.

"Only you're crazy enough to go for a swim at this time of night, you'll be chilled to the bone in no time, silly thing," Duni said softly, chuckling slightly.

Njano closed her eyes tight and concentrated on trying to catch some sleep for real. She started drifting into a light sleep once Duni's warmth spread on to her, making Njano feel nice and cozy, but she was awakened when Kanai and Imara returned from their walk.

"Anyway, it's been fun, thanks for coming with me," Imara whispered, while Njano pricked her ears to listen better to their conversation.

"Yeah," Kanai replied with a happy sigh, "I must admit I had fun as well. I think my face still hurts from laughing. I suppose Erevu will be glad to find out we're friends now, or something."

"Mmhmm. I hope he'll stop chaperoning us too, to make sure we're getting along."

Kanai chuckled softly so as not to awaken the lionesses around her. "I'm going to sleep now, I'll talk to you later. Good night."

Imara walked away silently, and Kanai looked around for a place to lie down. She noticed Njano snuggled already next to Duni, so she went to sleep by Nura's side instead.

* * *

The next morning, as the lionesses stretched themselves and groomed each other after waking up, Njano approached Kanai, wanting to hear all about her walk with Imara.

"Hi! How's that headache?" Kanai greeted her.

"It's finally gone, thanks for asking. So, tell me, what were you up to while I was gone?"

Kanai shrugged. "Nothing much. Playing with the cubs, chasing them around, that sort of thing."

Njano blinked a couple of times. "That's all?"

"Um, yeah, I guess..." Kanai replied, while biting her lip nervously.

Njano was taken aback for a moment. "That's not what I heard... I heard someone asked you out."

"Oh, that!" Kanai said a bit too quickly, "That was nothing. Just Imara who wanted to talk without Erevu hanging around us like a hungry vulture."

"Oh... How did it go? Did you two have fun?"

Kanai shrugged. "As much fun as you can have with Imara, I guess," she replied, trying to sound as if her meeting had been of little or no importance.

_Two lies in a row,_Njano thought to herself, wondering why Kanai wouldn't just admit that she had a good time, like she did last night to Imara. Was she afraid that Njano would feel jealous?

"Anyway," Kanai said, interrupting her thoughts, "We're going hunting today, and you can officially join in now! Aren't you excited?"

"Try nervous... I'm afraid of messing up and ruining it for everyone. At least while hunting solo, you only mess things up for yourself..."

"You'll do fine, you'll see. Besides, I'll be with you, so I can poke you if your mind wanders away like it always does," Kanai said, looking into her eyes and giving her a small wink.

Njano finally smiled for the first time since the night before. "I hadn't thought about that..." she said as her mood lightened up at the prospect of hunting together with Kanai.

"Will you groom behind my ears?" Kanai asked, and Njano gladly complied. As they were busy with their grooming session, Erevu came down from his niche and greeted the lionesses.

Njano watched thoughtfully as Nura gave him a quick kiss and groomed his mane. She wondered whether he had already made up his mind, and was dying to find out. Not long after, Erevu stood up again and bid the lionesses good-bye and good luck during the hunt. He was getting ready to start his rounds and it appeared that Imara was not going with him this time.

Njano thought it would be a good opportunity to ask him about her request. She watched silently as Erevu walked past her, without acknowledging her presence, just like he usually did.

"Hmm, seems Chiku's gathering the huntresses already, probably we're going to discuss today's tactics. Let's join them," Kanai told her.

Njano hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "You go ahead, I'll be right there."

Before Kanai could ask anything else, Njano ran off in the direction Erevu had taken. Kanai watched her leave, and simply shook her head, smiling to herself. "Did she just run away? She must be really afraid of messing up..." she told herself, chuckling. She then joined the other lionesses and listened intently to Chiku's instructions.

In the meantime, Njano had managed to catch up with Erevu, who was sniffing the grass, looking bored.

"Erevu!" she called, making the lion look up, startled.

He quickly looked around him, to make sure they were alone and no one would listen to their conversation.

"What is it this time? Can't you see I'm busy?" he told her as he marked a nearby bush.

Njano waited until he was done, and then ventured to ask, "I just wanted to know if you already made up your mind..."

Erevu looked at her, chuckling slightly. "My, my, aren't you eager. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but no, I hadn't even thought about your request just yet. Besides, I told you _I'd_ let _you _know whenever I make my decision."

Njano looked at him, visibly hurt. "But... I already gave you what you wanted, didn't I? I proved myself to you."

Erevu walked to her, enjoying himself while seeing her body language still conveying total submission, despite the lioness being obviously angry at him.

"I think I might need some more persuasion from your side, before I can make up my mind," he told her, sniffing her face.

Njano took a step backwards, not believing what she was hearing. "You mean... You want to mate again?"

"Of course," he replied with a smirk, matter-of-factly, "as many times it may take to persuade me to keep you around in my Pride, and also whenever I just feel like it, if I decide to let you stay. You yourself said you'd do anything, remember? But like I said, it's all up to you... If you think you're not up to the task, then you're more than welcome to leave with Safi and Duni."

Njano looked at him as her eyes began to tear up, and her body was shaking slightly as she tried to control her anger. Slapping that smug grin off his face would totally ruin her chances of staying, so she simply swallowed the nasty words she wanted to yell, and nodded silently.

"Very well. Now go back and stop bothering me. I will let you know when I require your presence again, and needless to say, I want you to keep it a secret."

Njano nodded again and turned around, her head and her tail hanging low, a posture that indicated defeat.

Erevu smiled to himself, looking forward to bullying Njano some more. He then turned around and went on with his patrolling duties while humming to himself.

* * *

Njano joined the hunting party just as Chiku was rounding up her pep-talk. Kanai briefly filled Njano in on what the plans were, but the lioness could tell that Njano's mind was somewhere else completely.

"You don't look so good all of a sudden. Hairball coming up?" Kanai asked Njano, as they headed quietly towards the hunting grounds.

Njano nodded. "I'm fine, don't worry. It's probably just the nerves."

Njano's mind kept going over the conversation she just had with Erevu, and she wanted nothing more than to retreat to a quiet place and cry. She had not foreseen that Erevu would request her to mate outside her season all the time, as a price to pay to be able to stay. She thought it had been a one-time request only.

_I don't think I can do it. How am I contributing to the Pride anyway, by doing this? _she thought, as the lionesses took their positions to ambush a herd of antelope.

Kanai sat next to Njano, and watched as Chiku launched the attack on their prey. The herd began to scatter and headed towards Kanai and Njano's direction.

"Okay, here they come, stay alert, Njano."

But Njano appeared not to have heard her.

"Njano, go! Now, darn it!" Kanai hissed, but seeing her friend completely unresponsive, Kanai cursed out loud and went ahead to try and finish the attack without her. She almost lost grip of the antelope she singled out, but luckily Adla had been nearby when Kanai was yelling at Njano, and assumed that they were having some kind of problem. Adla assisted Kanai by holding the antelope down, while Kanai gave the killing bite to the neck. The rest of the lionesses joined them within seconds and helped subdue the thrashing antelope.

Once they caught their breath, Chiku looked up, baring her teeth in anger, and was about to yell something nasty at Njano, who was still hiding behind a bush, but Kanai stopped her.

"Please, let her be, she's not feeling well. She had a headache yesterday, and she looked kinda queasy just a few moments ago."

"She's not with cub, is she?" Chiku snarled, but Kanai only shook her head in reply.

Adla stood up and shook the dust off her pelt. "I'll see if I can talk to her, in the meantime you can all drag this back to the lair and wait for Erevu to return."

The lionesses agreed, and they made their way back home, leaving Adla and Njano behind.

Adla crossed the thicket and sat down next to Njano, nuzzling her gently. "Are you all right? Kanai says you're a bit under the weather."

Njano looked up for a moment, but quickly looked away. "I'm fine, don't worry. Just got distracted, like always, that's all."

Adla could tell that Njano was lying, so she pressed on. "You don't look fine to me. Did something happen? Maybe I can help?"

Njano really wanted to talk with someone about the situation with Erevu, but she was afraid that if she were to bring this to the light, that Erevu would simply kick her out. Njano pondered for a moment, wondering if there was a way to phrase her questions without giving away what was going on.

"I know it sounds dumb but... It's... It's about growing up, and finding a mate..." she said finally.

Adla grinned for a moment. "And what's the problem with that?"

Njano shrugged. "I just wish I had paid more attention to when mom gave me that talk about how cubs are made. I feel so clueless right now," she lied, hoping to steer the conversation towards what she wanted to know.

"Well, if you trust me, perhaps I can answer your questions right now. Erevu won't come home any time soon, so we have time enough."

Njano gave Adla a small grin, and nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

The older lioness proceeded to explain in detail what lions needed to do to procreate, while Njano listened intently. When she was done, Njano finally asked, "So what if the lioness isn't in season? Can she mate too?"

"Why would she want to? We only feel the need to mate when we're in season," Adla replied.

"So she cannot mate at all, then?"

Adla shifted her weight slightly. "Well... Technically she can, and it does happen sometimes, but it's not a nice experience, for us females at least. You see, the males are always ready to mate and take great pleasure at it every time, but we don't. However, some lionesses will agree to do it as a sign of gratitude, or to help the males relieve some tension. But it's the lioness' decision; the male has no say in it."

Njano looked away for a moment, and finally blurted out, "Can a lioness accept a male's request to mate, in order to obtain something from him in return?"

Adla frowned slightly, wondering why she would bring this scenario up. "Usually all we need to do is ask him for a favour. The males won't dare to ask for that type of payback, unless there is something really big at stake, or the lioness in question is extremely submissive and they know they can take advantage of her."

Njano closed her eyes tight, her head still turned away from Adla. "But if it were to happen anyway... Would the Pride think less of a lioness who decided to go down that route?"

Adla hesitated for a moment. She was now sure that there was something going on that was prompting these rather specific questions, but she didn't want Njano to know. She pondered how to reply so as not to give herself away, and still be helpful.

"I think it depends a lot on the situation. Take your mom, for example. The lionesses were very judgmental of her, and she even mated _within _her season, with no other specific goals or requests. So I think in this case, they'd be willing to hear what prompted a lioness to feel so powerless so as to give in to such a request. I, for one, would really like to know. Perhaps I, as the alpha lioness, could help my fellow pride-mate get what she wants, without her having to submit to a male's bullying."

Njano remained very quiet, as Adla's words sank in. She turned to look at her slowly, trying to keep her eyes from tearing up.

Adla sat closer, tilting her head slightly, looking thoughtful. She nuzzled Njano gently, while in the meantime looking for bite marks in the back of her neck. She found them all right, not too obvious, unless one was explicitly looking for them. Adla understood now. Someone was obviously taking advantage of Njano, and she wished with all her might she had known about this earlier.

Adla stopped nuzzling and whispered softly, "Who did this to you, and what did you ask from him?"

Njano finally burst into tears, sobbing so often that she was having problems trying to speak.

Adla waited patiently for her to calm down, nuzzling her and drying her tears.

When Njano finally recovered from her outburst, she simply whispered, "It doesn't matter who, Adla. All I know is that I have to do it if I want to get what I'm longing for..."

"Are you sure it's not something I could help with? After all, I've been known for getting my way when I put my heart into it," she replied, grinning slightly.

Njano shook her head. "If he finds out I told you, I'll have no chance..."

"I'll be very discrete, I promise."

Njano took a deep breath. "I... I asked Erevu to take me into the Pride."

Adla's expression changed immediately. She looked extremely upset. "I should've known... He bullied your mother, now he's moved on to bullying you..." she muttered to herself.

"He says he doesn't need me around, since all you other lionesses already provide for him. But there was something else I could help him with... He asked to mate, knowing I wouldn't get any cubs in my current state. So I accepted, thinking that it would be a one-time thing, but today I found out that he expects me to go mate with him every time he asks, and not just now, but also if I'm allowed to stay. So if I'm not a huntress or a cub-sitter... Just what kind of role am I going to have?"

"No role at all," she replied, visibly angry, "He's just walking all over you because he thinks he's got the upper hand and he knows you're not going to stand up for yourself."

"And even if I would stand up to him, then he wouldn't let me stay either. I just can't figure out what to do..."

Adla took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Do you really want to stay with us that badly?"

Njano nodded. "I'd be very grateful if I could, yes..."

Adla nodded as well, not questioning Njano's motivations. "Fine. Then leave it up to me. Don't worry, I won't tell him you told me anything. But I promise you, he won't be bothering you again."

"Please don't tell my mom either, she doesn't have a clue."

"Don't underestimate her, she can smell your mood, you know. I've always wished I could have her nose..." Adla replied dreamily, "I suggest we head back for now, and that you don't ask Erevu anything about your request. If you do, I'm sure he'll try to lure you into mating again, so don't give him the opportunity. If he comes to you before I've had a chance to speak with him, just try to deter him."

Njano nodded. "Will do... Thanks for listening, this was really eating me up..."

"I can see why. The prospect of joining a Pride, just to be used like that, time and time again... No, definitely not appealing at all. I'm really glad you confided in me, sweetie. Is there anything else you would like to talk about?" Adla asked.

Njano simply shook her head. "No, you've really helped clear my head now. I feel a lot better."

Both lionesses returned to the lair. Njano was relieved to see that Erevu was not back yet. She looked for Kanai, hoping she could apologize for not participating in the hunt earlier. She found her sitting under the shade of the trees with Imara. For a brief moment, she doubted whether she should join them, but decided to do it anyway.

"Hey, guys... I'm really, really sorry about earlier, Kanai. That hairball came up at a really bad time," Njano said, sitting down nearby, while both lions turned to look at her.

"Don't mention it, I figured you were not feeling well," Kanai replied.

Imara looked visibly disappointed. "Uh, oh... Now your best friend is back, I guess I'm not needed anymore, huh?" he told Kanai.

Kanai let out a laugh. "Don't be silly, you can stay if you want, if you can stand lioness talk. Right, Njano?"

Njano chuckled and nodded.

Imara shook his head and stood up. "I'll just leave you two at it then. But you're still up for a walk with me after dinner, right?"

Kanai blushed slightly, and looked away. "We'll see..."

"C'mon, it'll be fun, like last time."

Kanai became rather nervous, but nodded in the end. "Okay, okay, I'll see you later. Now, shoo."

Njano waited until Imara was off earshot and faced Kanai. "You seem to get along better with him as of lately... How come? Is he less shy and quiet than before?"

Kanai nodded, not going deep into the subject.

Njano sat closer to her. "Hey, listen, it's okay if you like hanging out with him. I mean, I think it's great, since he's going to be your mate, after all. Better to be friends than enemies... You don't have to worry about me, or hide things from me."

Kanai looked at Njano, feeling ashamed. "You're not angry or jealous?"

Njano smiled warmly. "I'd be happy if I didn't need to share you with anyone else, but I know that's not gonna happen. I know you have a role to fill in this Pride, and being with him is the price you gotta pay. It'd be very unfair of me to be angry or jealous, when I know you're practically being forced to do this."

Kanai sighed deeply and gave Njano a head-butt. "You're the greatest, you know?"

Njano lay down on her belly. "Now tell me all about it, I want all the juicy details. Does he have feelings for you?"

"Nah, I don't think so. He's just really funny. I'd never expected that of him, when he'd barely say a word to us when we were young..."

As the two lionesses gossiped about Imara, Erevu eventually returned from doing his rounds. Njano decided to wait under the trees with Kanai, until Imara and Erevu were done eating. Once she made sure Erevu had already retreated to his niche, they finally made their way to the lair and joined the rest of the lionesses for dinner.


	15. Change of Heart

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 15: Change of Heart**

Adla kept true to her promise, and didn't waste time in confronting Erevu about Njano's situation. As much as she wanted to slap him and make him apologize, Adla had to think carefully about how to approach Erevu without letting him know that Njano had confided in her. She managed to come up with a plan, and decided to put it in action that evening, just as the sun had set behind the horizon.

The lioness approached Erevu resolutely after he had finished his dinner and began grooming himself.

"Erevu, do you have some time? There's something really important I have to talk to you about," Adla whispered discretely, making sure the other lionesses would not hear them.

Erevu looked slightly disappointed, as he was planning to ask Njano to meet him again by the waterhole.

"Right now? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "The safety of the Pride might be at stake. I want to speak to you in private so as not to alarm the rest."

Erevu hesitated for a moment, looking mildly curious. "All right, let's go somewhere quiet."

The two lions walked silently towards a secluded area, while Adla made sure there was no one else nearby.

"Well, what's the matter?" Erevu asked as he sat down. He stared distractedly at his reflection in a puddle of water, admiring how much thicker his auburn mane had become as of late.

"I think there might be an intruder in our territory," Adla whispered with some urgency, "I can't tell for sure, but the evidence certainly points towards it."

Erevu turned to Adla, looking slightly confused. "Huh? That's strange, we didn't notice anything out of the ordinary while on patrol... What sort of evidence are you talking about?"

Adla sat closer to him and whispered as low as she could, "It's Njano. She was a total wreck during the last hunt, and later I found her crying, but she just wouldn't tell me why."

Erevu did his best to try and keep a straight face. He was better at lying now than when he was younger, and was determined not to let Adla see through him again. He simply listened to her quietly.

"I tried to comfort her, so I started grooming her," Adla went on, "That's when I noticed some marks on her neck... You know, the marks a male leaves behind after mating. She's very unhappy, and that leads me to think that she didn't want to do it. Maybe she was forced, somehow? I know nobody within our Pride would sink so low and commit such a heinous act... It has to be a rogue! An outsider must've taken advantage of her and forced her to mate outside her season."

Erevu stood up and started pacing in circles. "How can you be so sure that someone forced her? I mean, it's no secret she's leaving soon. Maybe she gave herself willingly to some passing lion, expecting to be taken into his Pride. He could've just broken her heart and left her behind, or something."

Adla did her best to contain her anger, knowing that he was blatantly lying to her again. She had hoped that after what he had done to Duni, Erevu would admit his mistake this time, but sadly the lion had not changed one bit.

"She doesn't wander outside the borders often. If she's meeting with a rogue in secret and she's had enough time to actually fall in love with him, then that means you've been doing a very lousy job at keeping our borders secure."

Erevu tried with all his might to suppress a deep snarl that was threatening to escape from his throat. He could also tell that Adla's temper was starting to flare too, so he tried to keep a composed demeanour, hoping he would get Adla remain calm too.

"Hey, Imara and I have been doing our job just fine. Besides, she doesn't have to be in love with him, she could just be moping because she thought she'd get something in return, and she didn't. Either way, we can speculate all you want, but that's not going to lead us anywhere. What exactly did that lioness tell you?"

"_Njano _didn't say a word, no matter how hard I tried to get her talking. But it was obvious. She was so emotionally shaken, and she's physically hurt too; I clearly saw she was bleeding."

Erevu continued pacing in circles, as he pondered what his options were. The best solution he could think of was to promise Adla that he would chase after the non-existent intruder, and then sometime later either tell her hadn't found him, or that he'd found him and chased him away. Only this meant he would no longer be able to bully Njano into mating, at least not as easily as he had done so far.

"All right..." Erevu sighed, not looking too worried, "I'll do an extra round and bring Imara with me just in case. If that rogue's still in the area, we will teach him a lesson."

Adla nodded, attempting to look grateful. "I appreciate this, Erevu. I can't think of what I would do, if I were to come face to face with the jerk who hurt her like that. I'd skin him alive and throw him to the crocodiles," she added, in a warning tone that she hoped Erevu would not miss.

He looked at her, managing to conceal his uneasiness. "Now that's a charming mental image. Anyway, I'm going now, I'll let you know if we find him."

"In the meantime," Adla said, before the lion could leave, "I will also take some precautionary measures. I personally will be keeping an eye on Njano, and will ask the lionesses to go out in pairs if they need to get a drink or if they want to go for a walk. That way no one will be on their own, if he decides to strike again. I have also told Njano she can stay with us, under our protection, for as long as she likes. I don't want her leaving this place until she feels safe and confident again. I trust you don't have any objections to this?"

Erevu had some slight trouble trying to hide his anger and disappointment at this point; the fun had lasted way too short. He couldn't blackmail Njano any longer, and it would be too risky to attempt anything again, with Adla keeping tabs on her all the time.

"Yeah, yeah, good idea," Erevu said, pretending to agree, and tried again to cut this conversation short, "Anyway, let's go back now so that I can start the search with Imara."

When the two lions finally returned to the Pride, Erevu went to look for Imara. The young lion was getting ready to sleep, so he looked up startled when Erevu addressed him in a quick and hushed manner.

"Get up. We're going to patrol the borders again," Erevu commanded, sounding sour.

"Huh? We have to patrol again? At this time of the day?" Imara asked, feeling tired and drowsy.

"Remember what I told you about keeping the alpha lioness pleased?" Erevu whispered, looking moodier than before.

Imara nodded, yawning noisily in the process.

"Well, today's one of those days where we have to do a little extra something for her. Adla thinks she saw an intruder and wants us to check it out, so we'll go away and pretend to look for him and keep her happy."

Imara eventually got up and followed his father, wondering what he meant by that, but Erevu cast a warning glare at him and muttered, "No more questions."

Adla watched them leave, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself. She was very disappointed in Erevu, and her stern features finally revealed just how angry she really was. She felt she couldn't trust him anymore. How many more lies has he told throughout his life? But what mattered the most now, was that he got the message that Njano was definitely not alone.

Once Adla could no longer see the silhouette of the two lions walking away in the distance, she went to look for Njano. She found her grooming Duni, who appeared to be fast asleep. Adla motioned with her head for Njano to follow.

Njano stood up as quietly as she could, and followed Adla, looking over her shoulder to make sure that Duni was still sleeping. The lioness had stirred slightly, but did not wake up.

They sat down further away, while Njano looked at Adla expectantly.

"I've spoken with him and I have the feeling he won't be bothering you again. Also, you can stay with us for as long as you please," Adla told her, smiling triumphantly.

"Really?" Njano asked, her eyes wide open in surprise. "But how did you- How?"

Adla proceeded to retell what she had told Erevu, and Njano couldn't help but chuckle, picturing him wasting his time while pretending to look for an invisible intruder.

"In the remote case that he asks this sort of thing from you again, please let me know immediately."

Njano nodded, as tears of happiness streamed down her face. "Darn, why didn't I come to you sooner... I'm over the moon! Can I please go tell Kanai?"

"Sure, go ahead. If the other lionesses start asking you about when you're leaving, just tell them you have my permission to stay, and tell them to come to me if they want any more explanations."

"Thank you, thank you so much," Njano replied sincerely, nuzzling the alpha lioness, "I wish I could repay you somehow..."

Adla shook her head. "Forget about that. Now run off and go tell your best friend the good news. I'm afraid your mother won't be so ecstatic to hear them, though."

"She already knows I wanted to stay. Only she didn't think that Erevu would let me... I hope she won't be too sad."

"We'll see, when she wakes up."

Njano gave Adla an enthusiastic head-butt, thanking her once again for her help. She darted away in search for Kanai, who was playing with Damisi's cub, not too far away. As Njano came closer, she could clearly hear Kanai cooing at the tiny lioness that was snuggled comfortably between her paws.

"Who's the cutest? Who's the sweetest of them all? Yes, you are..."

Njano approached Kanai and sat by her side, laughing at her antics towards the cub.

"Sorry," Kanai said, looking a bit embarrassed, "They're just so adorable at this age... Just a few minutes ago she had a laughter attack. It's the cutest thing I've seen, I tell you. I just can't get enough of these cubs!"

"Well, when you're done spewing honey all over this little one here, what do you say we go to our tree?" Njano asked.

Kanai's smile faded quickly. "Oh... Sorry... I kinda promised Imara we'd go to the hill by the cave. Something about looking at stars or such."

"Oh, but Imara just left. He's gone to patrol with Erevu again; they went to look for an intruder Adla spotted earlier."

"Still, I don't know... What if he comes back and starts looking for me and finds our hideout?"

Njano could not contain her excitement anymore and simply blurted out, "Okay, okay, no problem. I just wanted to let you know that Adla has convinced Erevu to let me stay in the Pride!"

Kanai's eyes opened wide. "Really? Wow... I- I had no idea you were actually planning to stay... So you're not leaving with Duni and Safi anymore?"

Njano shook her head, looking happier than she had done in weeks. "I didn't say anything because I wanted it to be a surprise. That, and I also wanted to spare myself the extra humiliation just in case he said no."

"Wow... That's... That's really cool... I didn't expect this, you always talked about going away," Kanai said, sounding genuinely surprised.

"I haven't talked much anymore about wanting to leave, ever since you told me you liked me. That day changed my life, Kanai. Forget all the adventures! Since then I've wanted nothing more than to stay here, with you... I'm so happy, and I just want to snuggle you and kiss you so badly... Oh, man, are you sure you can't ditch Imara and just come with me?" Njano asked, eager to be alone with her.

Kanai was rendered speechless for a moment, but recovered her composure quickly. "I'll tell you what, I'll go with Imara for a short while, and then meet you at the tree afterwards, what do you think?"

Njano let out a happy sigh and nuzzled Kanai. "All right... I'll settle for that. Don't keep me waiting too long, hmm?"

Kanai nodded and watched Njano walk away. The lioness let out a deep sigh, and then stared down at the cub quietly, not feeling in the mood for cooing anymore.

* * *

Njano was very pleased to see that even weeks after Erevu's conversation with Adla, the lion kept avoiding her as much as he could.

What Njano didn't know was that Erevu had opted to keep on lying to Adla, just to get Njano to leave. He told her that the intruder was nowhere to be found, and since Njano was no longer sporting any bite marks, and looked at lot chipper, the rogue must have left and the problem had solved itself. She should be ready to leave any time now.

Adla could not take his lies any longer and she lost her patience one day, finally confronting him with the truth. Adla knew she had the upper hand now. She blackmailed Erevu by stating that Njano would be allowed to stay, or else, she would tell the whole Pride what he had done.

Erevu knew that the lionesses would all gang up on him for bullying a Pride-mate, so he reluctantly agreed to Adla's terms. He did very well at keeping his distance after that; if he had ever been aloof towards Njano, it was nothing compared to how he treated her nowadays. It was as if Njano simply didn't exist. If she caught him looking at her, he would glare and bare his teeth, and then turn away.

Njano was relieved, knowing he wouldn't take advantage of the situation anymore, but she would have preferred if she could have stayed in the Pride under friendlier terms, and count with Erevu's respect and protection. The way he looked at her sometimes made Njano feel that Erevu would allow a hyena to rip her to pieces, and he'd gladly sit to watch.

In the meantime, Safi and Duni kept distancing themselves from the Eyasi Pride more and more. Sometimes they wouldn't be seen for a couple of days, while they took long walks in search for a good territory to settle down. Safi had already met a couple of lionesses who had shown interest in joining him, but they eventually decided to move on, once they found out about Duni and her problem. The lionesses hadn't been too keen on doing extra work to provide for her and any future cubs she might have, so Safi kept on searching.

Duni's mood began to suffer from these strangers' rejection. She couldn't help but feeling like a burden again, no matter how much Safi tried to persuade her otherwise. Then there was the fact that her daughter would be staying behind. Duni wanted nothing more than happiness for Njano, whether at the side of a lion or a lioness, it didn't matter to her. Only Duni was not sure that Njano would actually be happy in this Pride. She could only hope to be proven wrong in the future.

Kanai in turn continued her lessons on leading the Pride, how to be diplomatic with the other animals, and keeping the balance in their territory, while Imara had already experienced his first opportunity to chase after a leopard. The intruder had been trying to snatch some of the pride's food, but Imara saw him right on time. The lion chased the thief down and managed to put up a decent fight. The leopard eventually limped away, looking angry and defeated.

Njano had started taking the hunting sessions seriously, and her abilities were improving little by little. She made a big effort at concentrating, determined to gain the acceptance and respect of the rest of the lionesses. She even dared to approach Chiku once, surprising her by showing interest in her hunting methods, and asking for tips and feedback.

The lionesses could tell that Njano was finally trying her best, although none of them knew yet that it was because Njano was planning to stay for good.

While the Pride appreciated her efforts all the same, Njano came to the painful realization that the lionesses never built a real bond with her, and they weren't interested in trying to build one now. No one would ever ask her to go for a walk together, and it was usually Duni or Kanai who helped her with grooming. So with Duni spending days away searching for territory, Kanai busy with her lessons, and the lionesses fussing around the young cubs, Njano ended up spending a lot of her time alone. It didn't bother her, though. She had always been an expert at entertaining herself, but nowadays it gave her the feeling that she was still not seen as part of the group. She couldn't help but worry every now and then.

One particularly hot afternoon, Njano decided to go to the lake and cool off with a swim. She dived into the refreshing pool and swam around, while catching a few fish in the process. She was sure that Kanai would appreciate a little treat after her long and tedious lessons.

Njano swam for a long time, until she finally felt her leg muscles becoming sore. The lioness climbed out of the water and shook herself, while the gentle breeze provided an added cooling effect.

Njano dried herself shortly, and then picked up the fish with her muzzle. She started her way back home, feeling in good spirits for no particular reason. She waited for a long time for Kanai to return to the lair, and when she finally showed up, Njano could see already in the distance that Kanai looked very tired and sleepy.

"I hate diplomacy. I know it's important and all, but I really have a hard time keeping my eyes open during those lessons," Kanai muttered, sitting down next to Njano and yawning noisily.

"Hopefully these might give you some energy," Njano said, pushing the fish towards Kanai.

Kanai brightened up at the sight of the tasty treats and began eating immediately. "Mmm! You bet they do, thanks," she said between bites.

Njano lay down on her tummy, while Kanai continued to rant about her boring lesson as she ate. Njano knew she couldn't do anything about Kanai's strict training, but she had noticed that Kanai always felt better after letting out a heated monologue about class, so Njano would let her talk, and she'd listen quietly, interrupting only when necessary.

Once Kanai had finished eating, the lioness sighed and stared into the distance, reminiscing of her younger days. " Ah, can you still remember when we were cubs and we could spend all day running and playing, without a worry at all?"

Njano nodded, smiling slightly. "Everyone thinks I'm still stuck in that age, remember?"

"True, true..." Kanai chuckled and remained quiet for a short while, as she groomed her own face and paws. "That was delicious... I think I could also use a drink now. Wanna tag along?"

"Sure," Njano replied, not minding at all that she had already been to the lake herself. It had been a while since Kanai actually requested her company, so she was really looking forward to it.

As they walked together, Njano looked at Kanai from the corner of her eye. She still looked a bit tired, so Njano had an idea that might cheer her up a bit. "So, you miss cubhood, hmm? How about I bring it back for you, just for a little while?"

Kanai turned to look at her, but before she could ask what Njano had in mind, the lioness quickly poked her on the ribs with a paw and yelled, "Tag!"

Kanai stayed put, shaking her head. "Oh come on, you can't be serious. We're way too old for those games!"

"You're as old as you want to feel," Njano replied, jumping around her playfully, daring her to give chase.

"Oh, all right!" Kanai exclaimed, laughing brightly. She gave chase, forgetting all about her responsibilities for a short moment.

The lionesses were so engrossed in their game that they didn't notice Imara watching them from afar, frowning slightly. He decided to follow them with the intention of addressing Kanai about this childish behaviour, while the lionesses continued to run and chase each other, unaware of his presence.

"Okay, okay, I think you were right, I'm getting too old for this... Time-out!" Njano said eventually, panting slightly.

Kanai nodded and stopped to catch her breath as well, lowering her guard in the process.

Njano noticed that, and she didn't waste any time; she immediately pounced on Kanai, wrestling with her for a short moment and pinning her down. "Hah, I lied! Gotcha now!"

Kanai let out a high-pitched squeal and tried to shake Njano off, who was whooping triumphantly. Kanai managed to escape Njano's grasp and both lionesses began tossing and tumbling, rolling around on the grass as they both tried to end up on top of the other, claiming the dominant position, while pinning the loser submissively to the ground.

Njano eventually succeeded and ended on top of Kanai's back, but Kanai still refused to admit defeat. She simply lay with her tummy close to the ground, awaiting for a moment of weakness from Njano to free herself.

"Now, be a good girl. Say uncle and show me the belly," Njano told her.

"I'm not exposing my belly to you, you cheater!" Kanai sniggered, trying to wiggle out of Njano's grasp.

"There's no escape. The mighty huntress has tackled down her prey, and will now proceed to dine!" Njano laughed, resting all her weight on top of Kanai, to try and keep her still.

Kanai kept on struggling but eventually she got tired and short of breath from Njano's weight on top of her. She finally let out a deep sigh, admitting her defeat. Only then did Kanai realize the position they were in; Njano's forepaws and back legs were nicely aligned with her own.

"Um... Njano, you do realize what this looks like, right?" she said, looking at her over her shoulder.

Njano looked down, watching their two bodies so close together, and chuckled slightly. "Oh, my."

"C'mon, lemme up before someone gets the wrong idea," Kanai insisted.

"Oh, no, you won't get away so easily. The mighty huntress still hasn't eaten yet," Njano said, carrying on with the game, and began nipping Kanai softly on the back of her neck, pretending to eat her while making _yumyumyum _noises as she did so.

Kanai was not in a receptive mood yet, so she found Njano's playful bites more ticklish than arousing, and she could not hold back a series of snorts and giggles, while she started struggling and squirming once more, trying to get away.

"Stop it! You're tickling me! Come on! Uncle, uncle!" Kanai said between bouts of laughter.

Njano let out a deep sigh, enjoying being this close to Kanai. She could hardly wait for her to have her first season. Smiling to herself, Njano stopped biting Kanai and gave her a couple of gentle, loving licks.

"Oh, save them! Those kisses won't make me forgive all this abuse. I'll have my revenge! Now let me up," Kanai told her, chuckling slightly, still a bit short of breath from her laughter attack.

"You heard Kanai. Get off her, now," came Imara's voice just right behind them, startling both lionesses. Njano dismounted Kanai immediately, tripping in the process.

Kanai stood up and faced Imara. "Well, look who's come to join the games," she said nonchalantly as she shook the dead and loose grass off her pelt, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Just what sort of game was that supposed to be?" he asked, eying Njano a bit angrily.

"Sheesh, Imara," Kanai interrupted, "we were just having fun like we used to do when we were cubs. What's wrong with some tag and some wrestling?"

"Yeah, we were just fooling around," Njano tried to explain, but Imara motioned her to be quiet with his paw.

"I want to speak to Kanai alone, please,"

Njano lingered for a few seconds, looking at Kanai, a bit unsure whether to leave her alone with him or not.

"It's all right, go ahead, I'll see you back at the lair," Kanai told Njano.

Njano nodded, glancing nervously between them. "Okay... Talk to you later." The lioness turned around and left, but in the spur of the moment, she decided to stay nearby, just in case Kanai would need her assistance. She looked for a hiding spot where she could listen to their conversation, feeling guilty for bringing Kanai into trouble.

Imara waited until Njano was gone, and addressed Kanai with a serious expression. "That was extremely inappropriate, you know."

Kanai snorted. "Relax, you're starting to sound way too much like Erevu. What happened to the funny lion that makes me laugh?"

"This isn't funny," Imara replied, "Erevu has told you both many times to quit this childish behaviour and act your age. Aren't you afraid he might lose his patience and punish you two?"

"Again, it was just a silly game after a hard day's work, all in good fun! Please don't drill me, I had enough of that this morning during the lessons. I needed a distraction and Njano just happens to be a very good one."

Imara let out a deep sigh. "Why did you let her dominate you? You also think that's appropriate as well?"

Kanai rolled her eyes. "Do you remember the rules of wrestling? There's a winner, and a loser. Njano won, that's that. What, are you afraid she'll start climbing up the rank order? She was and will always be bottom of the Pride, regardless of whether she pins me down at a play-fight."

"That's not what it looked like, Kanai. She was clearly enjoying her brief moment of power, while simulating-"

"She was just pretending to eat me like I had been a zebra she had hunted. Get your mind out of the gutter, please. So what if I let her win every now and then? It keeps her confidence up, you know. But do you really think she'll go and try to pin down Etana next? Come on, get real. This is Njano we're talking about. She practically worships me, you know that. She wouldn't dare to raise a paw to hurt me or to try and express dominance."

Njano, who had been listening intently to them, pricked her ears, her face frozen in a mortified expression. She didn't like the way Kanai was expressing herself about her. For a moment, she tried to find comfort thinking that Kanai was just doing what it would take simply to get Imara off her case. But Njano already knew that Kanai was not a very good liar, she tended to stutter and stammer, and it made Njano very uneasy to hear that there was none of that going on during her conversation with Imara.

Imara sighed deeply, dropping his stern expression. He gazed into Kanai's face for a moment, looking sincerely worried. "I don't know... It's just... Erevu's been in a really bad mood lately, especially when it comes to anything related to Njano. I don't care much about what happens to her, as she has had thousands of warnings already anyway. But I really don't want Erevu to punish you too, for hanging out with her like that. Not now that I'm starting to actually like you," he said, smiling slightly.

Njano frowned, wondering if Kanai would defend her, but the lioness didn't seem bothered by Imara's coldness towards her best friend.

"We've been through this, Imara... You know I also like you better than before, but I don't want you to pressure me."

"And I won't," the lion replied, "My previous offer still stands; you don't have to come to me on your first season. I'll gladly wait for you, until you're a hundred percent sure it's me you want."

"You talk like it's going to be a fact. Looks like the shy guy has gotten some confidence lately, hmm?"

Imara finally broke into a smile and boldly rubbed his cheek against hers. "I'm not the little, quiet cub I used to be. Can't you see me for what I am today?"

The lioness closed her eyes, enjoying the contact, and muttered, "Is this your idea of not putting pressure on me?"

"Hey, it's just a nuzzle. Last time I checked, lions nuzzle each other all the time."

"True..." Kanai replied softly.

Njano perked her ears further, but the conversation between them appeared to be over. She risked a peek to see whether Kanai had left the scene, or whether both of them had walked away. But her stomach did a turn when she saw that they were still there, sitting close together. They were nuzzling each other quietly, clearly enjoying the contact as they explored each other's face more intimately, for what appeared to be the first time.

Kanai in particular was enjoying burying her nose in his short mane, while Imara, always polite, did his best to disguise just how much he was enjoying himself, and when he could not hide it any longer, he simply excused himself, and gently asked Kanai to go back home and to remember his warnings about letting herself go around Njano.

Njano watched, with pain in her heart, as Kanai actually hesitated going after him, but the lioness stopped herself. Kanai shook her head and turned around, heading towards the lake as she had initially planned.

Njano was overwhelmed by sadness. Could it be that Kanai really thought that little of her? All of a sudden it felt as if her best friend was a stranger. She also experienced for the very first time a twinge of jealousy. She didn't mind Kanai being friends with Imara, but seeing that the lioness herself was now seeking more intimate contact with him, despite having proclaimed time and time again that she felt nothing for Imara, made Njano feel extremely insecure all of a sudden. She wasn't sure what to think anymore, but decided against letting her questions brood inside her. She needed to know right away what was going on.

With that in mind, Njano followed Kanai, trying to hold back tears that were threatening to escape at any moment.


	16. The Truth Comes Out

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 16: The Truth Comes Out**

As much as she had wanted to, Njano did not have the chance to confront Kanai with her questions that evening. She had found that Etana and Faiza were also at the lake at the time, so a private conversation was out of the question. Njano took that as a sign to let things be for the time being, and decided to wait until the time was right to have a heart to heart with her.

Kanai continued to have long study sessions with Nura, leaving little time for relaxation and to be with Njano. But the lioness had been very happy to hear that the intensive training would come to an end soon, and then she would finally have enough time to dedicate to herself, to the hunt, and to any possible future cubs that she and Imara would bring into the Pride.

News of that reached Njano's ears, while Chiku and Adla were talking about it one morning as they groomed each other. They were both very happy as to how well Kanai had done so far. They were sure that if something ever happened to the current leaders, Kanai would certainly be a good ruler, smart and confident. Imara, while less shy than before, still had a calmness to him that Adla found very contrasting when compared to Erevu's inconsistent and erratic behaviour. She had high expectations of the young lion, after all the disappointment Erevu had caused her.

After Kanai's lesson of the day was over, and the lionesses readied themselves to go hunting, Njano approached Kanai nonchalantly and told her, "I heard you won't be having lessons anymore, isn't that great?"

Kanai looked at her as she stretched her legs and warmed up her muscles. "Yeah, though they say the real work starts then..."

"Meaning...?"

"Well, if things go wrong and such, I might need to make some difficult decisions, that sort of thing. This ain't practice anymore, but real life."

Njano nodded. "Must be quite a burden on your shoulders..."

Kanai chuckled slightly. "It is a big responsibility, but I've learned well, and everyone keeps telling me that I'll make a decent leader sometime. I'm sort of starting to believe them!"

"Wow, listen to you... Remember there was a time when you wanted to trade places with me?" Njano asked, looking into her eyes.

Kanai's smile faded and looked away as she pretended to scratch her back leg by nibbling a spot with her teeth.

"I do remember," she replied eventually, "But things change as we grow older, and now I understand my role in this Pride a lot better."

Njano felt her heart beating faster, as she whispered, "I see... And has anything else changed, in the meantime?"

Kanai continued to avoid eye contact. "Well, of course, I've matured a lot and will soon be coming into adulthood... I dunno, the concept of going away looking for the unknown is just not appealing to me anymore. I'm happy here, under the safety of the Pride."

"That's not what I meant... " Njano replied softly, "Can you please stop what you're doing and look at me for a moment?"

Kanai gathered courage and looked at Njano. "Fine, there. I'm looking at you. Now what?"

Njano was taken aback by Kanai's sudden coldness. "Well... It just feels like you're pushing me away, kinda. We haven't spent time alone by our tree in ages... I miss you. Please, can we go there and just talk for a while?" she replied uneasily.

"We're about to go hunting, right now is not the time..." Kanai replied, looking at the hunting party, who was getting ready to leave.

"When will it be a good time, then? Is tonight a good time? Or do you already have another little nuzzle fest planned with Imara?" Njano blurted out before she could stop herself.

Kanai's eyes opened wide for a moment, but her expression quickly changed into anger. "What I do or don't do with him is none of your business, okay?"

"That's the point... It used to be my business... I really need to know what's going on, Kanai."

"Look, I really don't feel like talking to you right now," Kanai snarled, angry at having being spied on, "Please leave me alone."

Njano was about to reply something but Adla interrupted, calling for them to join the hunting party, which was already on the move.

Kanai turned around and left without another word, and made a point of not speaking to Njano unless it was something related to the hunt.

It was the longest, most tense hunting session Njano had experienced in her life, and she could not find comfort in the fact that they eventually succeeded in catching a rather big wildebeest that had strayed from its herd. The worried lioness barely ate, while Kanai continued to avoid her even throughout dinner.

Njano's mood lifted up slightly when she saw Safi and Duni in the distance. She decided to go greet them, curious about how the search for a new territory was going.

"We seem to have found a good spot with not much competition," Safi told her, "There's another Pride nearby but the leader's very friendly. He's also very old and not all right in the head if you ask me. He even suggested I stuck around so I could take over his land when he dies," he added, laughing slightly.

"We just basically came back for a couple of days, to say good bye, and let everyone now that we'll be settling down there, and that you're all welcome to visit whenever you want," Duni added, "I also wanted to know whether you might have changed your mind in the meantime..."

Njano sighed deeply as she nuzzled Duni, having missed her a lot. "My mind's made up, mom," she said, not sounding too sure anymore, "But you were right... Trying to fit in has been a lot harder than I thought."

Duni nodded. "I know what you mean. I'm the queen at trying to fit in in this Pride, and losing."

Njano smiled sadly. "Anyway, come on, you guys must be hungry and there's a nice, tasty wildebeest waiting for you."

Safi's expression brightened up. "Wow, I haven't had that in forever!"

Both lions headed straight for the meal and started eating enthusiastically, as they filled the Pride in on the new lands they had found, and which would become their new territory.

Njano lay down a few meters away, not paying much attention to the conversation. She was listening to Kanai instead, who was playing with the cubs once again, trying to teach them a few simple songs.

"_'While the...?'_ Sun, yes! Very well! _'Shines so...?'_ Bright! _'Up above, in the...?' _Sky!" she sang, as the cubs filled in the blanks, singing and laughing enthusiastically.

Njano was sure Kanai would make a great mother sometime, unlike her, who didn't feel much desire to spend time with the little ones. Perhaps in time she would think about having her own cubs, but for now, just watching someone else's cubs was enough.

The lioness shook her head, trying to get Kanai's sweet voice out of her mind. She hoped that taking a walk with Duni might help to clear her head, but Duni was already fast asleep, tired from the long trip. Safi had joined her in a nap not long after, so Njano decided in the end to go to her favorite tree, all by herself.

The lioness reached the tree and climbed up its branches with no difficulty at all. She stared ahead into the horizon, watching the distant herds grazing calmly, until drowsiness set in. Njano climbed down and settled down by the base of the tree, curling up into a ball. She fell asleep quickly after, waking up every now and then, just to change position, but at some point, she opened her eyes expecting to see only darkness around her, but she came face to face with Kanai, who was sitting right in front of her.

Njano rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't still dreaming, but Kanai blinked back at her, as real as could be.

"What are you doing here?" Njano asked, still sleep-drunk.

"Well, you wanted to talk, didn't you?" Kanai replied, still sounding angry.

Njano shook herself for a short moment, and sat down next to Kanai. She didn't know where to start, but finally she decided to go straight to the point.

"Listen... I'm really sorry about what I said earlier today, I was way out of line. But I'm not going to lie to you... I did spy on you and Imara that day, but that's because I was worried I had gotten you in trouble. You'd warned me that someone could get the wrong idea from what I was doing to you, but I didn't listen. So, I was feeling very guilty, and I thought I'd stay near, just in case you needed my help."

Kanai tilted her head, listening intently.

"I kinda heard everything you said, and... Well, while I'm used to trash-talk from everyone else, I never expected you to refer to me in the terms you used with Imara..."

"Terms? What terms? I can't remember insulting you in any way."

"You called me a distraction. You called me _bottom of the Pride_. You said you let me win on purpose cause I'd never amount to anything and beating you in a wrestling match would keep me confident."

Kanai swallowed with difficulty. "I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but that's kinda the truth, isn't it? I mean, you were always distracting me, and you are and have always been at the bottom of the rank, not counting your mother. I didn't lie in any way, Njano."

Njano could feel her jaw quivering, feeling a coldness coming from her that she had never experienced before.

"I suppose it is true," she replied, swallowing her tears, "but I had assumed that my closest friend had been able to see past all that, you know? I always thought you saw in me someone special, and that you didn't mind me being all weird and useless. It always made me feel so good to know that you never paid attention to my lack of skills or to my ranking, and you fell for me anyway. Now, I understand you have to pretend not to be in love with me in front of Imara, but... I guess I was sorta expecting you to stand up for me just a little, instead of putting me down like you did. Oh, and by the way, I am sure you didn't let me win last time. I beat you fair and square."

Kanai remained silent, realizing how much her words had hurt Njano. "I'm really sorry... I don't know what else to say."

Njano bit her lip for a moment, and whispered, "You did mean all those things you said, didn't you? Please, Kanai, I want the truth... Why are you pushing me away lately? Don't you love me anymore?"

Kanai stood up and started pacing back and forth, wondering how to explain to Njano what she was feeling.

"Listen," she said after a while, "The thing is... I really enjoyed hanging out with you. We've shared a lot together. But recently I feel like we're walking in two different directions. It's like, I am moving forward, and you're lagging all the way at the start. I try to pull you along, but instead it feels like you're holding me back."

Njano stared at the ground, not able to keep her tears inside anymore; they rolled down her face and formed dark, round spots on the soil beneath her.

Kanai went on, "I can't help it if I've changed as I grew up, and finally began to understand what was expected from me. I know now that there's more to my life than just acting like a cub while chasing you around and living in a world of daydreams. All that stuff seemed very appealing when I was younger, and I honestly admired you, wishing I couldn't give a damn, just like you."

Kanai paused for a moment, when she noticed Njano was crying silently, but there was no stopping now. She had to tell Njano the truth, it was now or never.

"Njano... I swear that I wasn't lying when I told you I had feelings for you. I really thought I was in love... But the truth is... I've realized that what I felt for you wasn't love. It was just my admiration for you that turned into some kind of infatuation. I do care for you very deeply, Njano, but... You are not the one for me."

Njano closed her eyes tight, wishing the earth would swallow her right there and then, to make the pain go away. Hearing that Kanai never really loved her felt as if someone had just given her the killing bite to the throat, taking her breath away, making it hard to breathe.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she whispered eventually, her choked-up voice barely audible.

"I wanted to, but I thought it wouldn't matter since you'd end up leaving anyway. You'd probably meet someone else in a distant territory, I'd stay here with Imara, and it would all work out well for the both of us in the end. But then I realized you were really serious about all this, you were madly in love with me, and to make it worse, you even went and made arrangements to stay... I kinda got freaked out. I didn't know how to approach the situation... I didn't want to hurt you, but I didn't feel like living a double-life anymore either, hiding and sneaking away all the time."

Njano looked up, the moist fur of her face glistening in the moonlight. A lot of things started to make sense, from Kanai's reaction to her staying in the Pride, and how she had been distancing herself more and more lately.

"I just wish I had known all this before I requested permission to stay... It would have saved me a lot of hassle and pain," Njano mumbled while she dried her face with one paw.

"You don't have to leave, of course! I still care a lot for you and you are still my best and closest friend. I'd love it if you could stay and we could still hang out together..."

Njano shook her head. "You just can't begin to imagine what I feel for you, Kanai. Knowing that our trips to this tree are over, our special grooming sessions, our big secret... As you can see, it is already tearing my heart in two. I love you and I want more than anything for you to be happy, but I don't think right now I'd be able to witness that happiness while someone else is standing by your side. I guess I am more jealous than I thought I was."

The two lionesses remained silent for a long time. Kanai felt relieved that she had finally gotten this out of her chest, but she could see that Njano was obviously having a hard time coping with the news. She was trying hard to repress her sobs, and Kanai wanted to comfort her, but she felt it would be awkward at this point. She simply waited there, keeping some distance, until Njano had calmed down.

"So..." Njano said, sniffling slightly, "Imara caught your eye after all, huh?"

Kanai simply nodded, not going into details as to how her heart raced when they were together. "I suppose we all go through a stage in which we find members of the opposite gender disgusting. He said he didn't like me at all either when he was a cub."

"I told you so... Just like mom and Safi..."

Kanai couldn't conceal a little smile, nodding in agreement. "So... Are we cool? You don't hate me or something?"

"I could never hate you..." Njano replied, "I'm just really angry that you didn't tell me earlier, and also very sad it didn't work out between us. And to think that I had been trying my best lately to fit in..."

"I noticed... But that wasn't you. I'm sure you'll be happier chasing after your adventures and your dreams of distant places, and you'll meet someone as free-spirited as you are, and you'll end up with a Pride where rules don't matter."

Njano sighed deeply. "It was excellent timing from my mom and Safi... They're only staying here for a couple of days, and will finally leave for good, so I guess I will join them after all. Just don't tell mom, I want to keep it a surprise."

Kanai nodded, and they both fell silent again.

"I... I guess I'll be heading back now, unless there's something else you want to address..." Kanai said, interrupting an awkward minute of silence.

"No, I know more than enough now. Feel free to go back."

"Okay... Are you staying here for a while?"

Njano shook her head, and unable to conceal her disappointment, she sarcastically replied, "Nah, I'll just go do something totally stupid, true to my style. Maybe I'll run around in circles while chasing my own tail, or something."

Kanai could clearly sense Njano's hostility, so she decided to leave her alone. "Fine, I'll talk to you later then..."

Njano watched Kanai leave, and then looked up at the branches of her favorite tree, trying to block the memories from rushing into her mind. Njano had never thought that tonight would be her last time here, and tears started rushing out again, without control.

"Good bye, old friend," Njano whispered while she sobbed, rubbing her head against the tree trunk for a short moment, marking it one last time, "You witnessed a whole lot of crazy things, but I trust you'll keep my secrets while I'm gone. No one is to know about what happened, okay?"

Once she was done marking her tree, Njano took a deep breath, and darted off in a sprint. She ran aimlessly, scattering herds here and there, and waking up flocks of sleeping birds. She ran for what felt like hours, until her energy was finally depleted, and she eventually managed to block the pain in her heart by passing out of exhaustion right in the middle of the hunting grounds.

* * *

Duni and Safi's departure was postponed for a couple of days; Duni had tripped against a rock and her paw had been bothering her slightly. But once she recovered and they were ready to leave, Adla decided to treat them before they left, and the hunting party brought in a delicious gazelle for dinner.

"You helped us a lot when Faraji passed away unexpectedly," Adla told Safi, "And you've taken good care of my Duni and Njano. This is the least I can do to show my appreciation to you. I wish you both the best, and I hope you come visit sometime..."

"Likewise," Safi replied, nuzzling Adla gratefully.

"I say for now we dig in!" Adla said, "You can have a nice nap afterwards, and then make your way home. How does that sound?"

"Sounds excellent!" Duni replied, as her eye began to tear up, "Thanks once again for everything, Adla."

Adla simply licked Duni's cheek, drying her tears.

The Eyasi Pride ate very well that evening. Duni still had no idea that Njano was planning to go with them after all, but she knew for sure that her daughter was hiding something. Njano had never been so quiet in her life, and she spent a lot of time sleeping. She assumed she might be sad about their definitive departure, knowing they wouldn't meet again in a long time.

Njano had joined the Pride for dinner as well, although her appetite was completely absent. She was aware that she would need the energy to make the long trip with Duni, so she forced herself to swallow her meat, although it felt as she was chewing on tough bark.

When she was done eating, she saw Duni and Safi were getting ready to catch on some sleep before the trip. Imara was discussing something with Erevu not far away, and the rest of the Pride was lounging lazily by the lair, while the cubs nursed.

Njano looked around, and noticed that Kanai was nowhere to be seen. She hadn't participated in the hunt either, and she was not present at dinner. Njano wondered if perhaps she went away to avoid any sappy good-byes, but Njano did not want to leave without seeing her one last time.

The lioness decided to skip her nap and went in search of Kanai instead. She was nowhere by the lake, nor at the hunting grounds. Njano even took a quick peek by their favorite tree, but it was deserted. Njano sat down, thoughtful. She wondered where else Kanai could be, and came up with a place she hadn't checked out yet. She headed straight for the abandoned cave.

As Njano approached, she could hear noises and rustling in the distance, like someone trampling the grass without caring to be overheard. Afraid that the wild-dogs might have returned, Njano sneaked as quietly as possible, trying not to bring any attention to herself. She was finally able to peek at the cave through some bushes, and noticed there was someone inside, pacing incessantly.

Njano walked towards the cave very slowly, and peered into the darkness, only to come face to face with Kanai, who happened to be on her way out. She was experiencing her first season, and looked extremely pleased to see Njano.

"I can't believe you found me, thank heavens! Please, help me out here, I'm going crazy..." Kanai said, nuzzling her boldly.

Njano blinked a couple of times and took a step back. "You _are _going crazy indeed. You seriously expect me to help you, after what happened? We're no longer together, remember?"

"You owe me one, Njano," Kanai said, baring her teeth, obviously under the influence of her own hormones, "You promised you'd help me!"

"I know I did... But things have changed now. I could go fetch Imara for you if you want-"

"No! I'm hiding here for a reason. I don't feel ready to have cubs yet. I love the little ones, but I want to wait just a bit longer..."

Njano sighed deeply. She wanted nothing more than to comfort Kanai, but she was still hurt and angry about the break-up, which kept holding her back. She shook her head, as if trying to bring herself back to reality.

"I'm sorry, Kanai. I just wanted to see you one last time and say good-bye before we leave tonight."

"Then why not give each other the best good-bye ever?" she asked, exposing her neck and shoulders to her, invitingly, "I can see it in your eyes, you want to help me so badly..."

Njano frowned. "I can't believe you want to use me like this, trying to take advantage of my feelings for you. You feel nothing for me, remember? And now all of a sudden you're okay with spending your season with me?"

"You're wrong. I still care for you a lot, and you're still my closest friend," Kanai insisted, "I told you a while ago that I wanted to spend my first season with you, and that hasn't changed, Njano. There's no one else I'd rather be with right now. You have to trust me on this one. I would have invited you to come right away if I had figured out what was going on, but it just hit me unexpectedly. I didn't want to go back and alert Imara of my condition..."

Part of Njano wanted to turn around and leave Kanai like that, longing for her and thinking about what she had and lost. But a bigger part of her was urging Njano to just go for it and give Kanai some much needed relief.

"Come on, please," Kanai insisted, "Help me like I helped you... That's all I'm asking..."

Njano looked at her intently. Kanai looked beautiful in her desperation, pacing here and there, fidgeting and rubbing against the walls of the cave. As angry as she was, Kanai's insistence awoke again in Njano the feelings that she had been trying so hard to repress for the past few days. She still loved Kanai after all, and she wanted nothing than to make her happy, even if they wouldn't see each other again after tonight.

Njano finally made up her mind. She would help Kanai, and take this last, happier memory of her beloved lioness along to her new, distant land.

* * *

Erevu and Imara had been discussing something in hushed tones, away from the Pride's prying ears.

"Are you sure about this?" Imara asked.

"Look around you, and tell me which lioness is missing. That mark we spotted has to be hers."

Imara sighed and looked at the lionesses, noticing Kanai was the only one missing. "So she's finally in season, big deal. If she didn't feel like coming to me, then I'll respect her decision."

"What are you talking about? It's finally your time to enter adulthood. She should have come to you, as your future mate."

Imara shrugged. "I know she was not looking forward to having cubs yet. She wanted to wait a little longer."

Erevu grunted and cursed under his breath. "The food is plentiful, there's no better time to raise a cub... What in the world is she thinking?"

"Who knows? I guess I'll find out when she returns."

The two lions were so engrossed in their conversation that they never noticed when Njano stood up and left the lair.

"What makes you so sure she doesn't want you around? I mean, she left that mark for a reason."

Imara looked a bit hesitant. "I guess I could try and look for her... If she invites me to stay, then I will. If not, I'll just return here and give her time."

Erevu nodded curtly. He found Imara to be too soft with the lionesses. He would have already at least attempted to locate the lioness in question.

"All right," Imara said, getting up and stretching his legs, "I'll see if I can find her, if not, I'll see you soon."

Erevu wished him good luck and then returned to the lair, feeling quite content and satisfied. His son would become an adult soon, and he wouldn't be seeing much of Safi and Duni anymore, which made him quite happy. He lay down next to Nura, who was now expecting her second litter. He looked at her proudly, and rested his head on her belly, settling down for a nap.

In the meantime, Imara searched around the area, sniffing here and there, but he had a hard time locating Kanai's trail. There were just too many scents of all the other lionesses mixing up his nose, but he eventually reached Njano's most recent trail, which was as clear as day. He knew that if there was a lioness that could lead him to Kanai, it would certainly be Njano.

With that thought in mind, Imara started following the scent trail, which took him to Njano and Kanai's favorite places, and ended at the abandoned cave. He could now also detect Kanai's scent in the area, which was quite enticing and overpowering, given her current state. Imara had to take a series of deep, calming breaths, so as not to just barge into the cave and try to claim her as his mate.

He waited for a while until he could control himself. As he got closer, he realized that Kanai was actually not alone. The sound of two distinct voices reached his ears, and he could tell they were not just having their everyday conversation. He carefully peeked inside, and froze at the sight of Kanai and Njano together, clearly engaged in more than just games to express dominance.

Kanai kept asking for more, and Njano was more than glad to comply, while Imara kept staring at them, confused; Erevu had never told him that two lionesses could actually mate. He watched them for a while, with a mixture of anger and morbid curiosity, but he eventually walked away hastily, once Kanai's urges had been satisfied.

Imara went to hide behind the nearby tall grasses, pondering about what he just saw. No wonder Kanai kept pushing him away and why she didn't want him near her during his season, he thought, feeling hurt.

Imara got distracted from his thoughts when the two lionesses walked out of the cave, slightly short of breath. They both flopped on the grass, rolling around for a while and enjoying the fresh air. Imara watched as they groomed each other in ways he had never seen the rest of the Pride-members do it, and he could not take it any longer. He needed to talk to Erevu about this.

He made his way back to the lair, and located Erevu, who was still asleep by Nura's side.

"Please, wake up... It's important..." Imara said, nudging Erevu with his face.

"Huh? What is it?" Erevu asked, looking startled.

"Not here, come on," Imara told him and walked away hurriedly.

Erevu felt slightly worried and followed the younger lion.

Imara proceeded to tell him all that he had heard and seen, while Erevu's features turned from worry into anger.

"Is it normal that two lionesses-"

"Of course it's not!" Erevu interrupted, "I knew that damn lioness would be nothing but trouble, just like her useless mother. But I've had enough. This ends right now. You wait here," he snarled, and ran off in the direction of the abandoned cave.

* * *

Kanai was nuzzling Njano, trying to persuade her to stay a bit longer. "Are you sure you have to leave already? I feel the heat building up again..."

Njano chuckled. "You're insatiable, you know that? But yes, I should get going soon, I'd hate to find that Duni and Safi have left without me."

"Come on, your own mother would never leave until she's said good-bye to you, don't you think?"

Njano pondered for a moment. "You have a point..."

"Just one more time... I promise I will let you go afterwards..." Kanai said, becoming very cuddly again, a sign that Njano would need to assist her soon.

"All right, one last time..." Njano whispered, and followed Kanai back inside the cave.

Njano was very concentrated trying to please Kanai. She had her eyes closed, and her back towards the entrance, so she never noticed when Erevu walked in.

Njano was passionately biting Kanai's neck and shoulders, when all of a sudden she screamed, after feeling a sharp pain on the back of her head. She had received a powerful blow that made her lose her balance, and she fell down next to Kanai, unconscious.

Kanai looked up startled, and turned around, staring at Erevu who was seething with anger. She gasped and backed off a few steps. "Don't touch me," she told him, baring her teeth.

"Don't flatter yourself, you filthy-" but he stopped himself in time. "You're coming with me back to the lair. Come on," he told her.

Erevu then grabbed Njano with his muzzle by one leg, and started dragging her limp body along.

Kanai looked at her friend, still unconscious and unable to fight back. "What are you doing? You can't take her like that!"

"Watch me," Erevu mumbled through his mouthful.

"Stop! I'll carry her!"

"You've carried her enough already," he said with disgust, "now shut up if you know what's good for you."

Kanai looked extremely mortified, but Njano eventually regained consciousness. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was being dragged by Erevu, and experienced a burning pain on her side, as her skin and fur were scraping against the ground. She let out a loud roar of pain, hoping someone would come to her assistance.

Erevu released her paw without even looking at her. "One more sound out of your mouth and you'll regret it. Now, move it," he told her.

The two lionesses followed Erevu silently, and Njano, just by glancing at Kanai, could tell that she was actually terrified.

Kanai had never seen Erevu so upset, and she had no idea what he was planning to do with them.

They finally reached the lair, and Erevu summoned his Pride to him through an extremely angry roar.


	17. A Painful Farewell

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 17: A Painful Farewell**

The Eyasi Pride gathered together after hearing Erevu's call, wondering what had prompted this meeting.

Safi and Duni also joined them, when Erevu told them that this concerned the both of them as well.

"Get up here," he muttered to the two young lionesses still standing behind him.

Njano and Kanai joined the rest of the Pride, looking very distraught.

The lionesses gasped when they saw Njano sporting a few bloodied scrapes on her side, and deep gashes on the back of her head, caused no doubt by a leonine paw.

Adla walked to her, inspecting the wounds, and looked at Erevu, demanding an explanation. "What's the meaning of this?"

Erevu turned to Njano and snarled, "Tell them what you were doing."

Njano looked around, feeling the Pride's stares as if they were piercing her like a razor-sharp claw. She looked at Duni, who had no idea what was going on; Safi was trying to describe to her what was happening and how Njano appeared to be wounded.

"I said tell them!" Erevu growled, slapping Njano's flank with a paw.

Njano winced in pain and then looked at Kanai, who appeared to have lost her voice all of a sudden. Seeing she wouldn't get any help from Kanai for the time being, Njano cleared her throat and muttered, "I was helping Kanai through her season."

The lionesses gasped in unison, wondering if she meant what they thought she meant.

"Imara and I saw it with our own eyes," Erevu went on, pacing in circles around Njano, "These two were engaged in a poor attempt at mating, while the _leader-to-be_," he spat, "pushed her own mate away, to spend time with this lioness instead."

"That's not true!" Njano interrupted, "I came across Kanai by accident, I just wanted to say good-" but Erevu cuffed her hard again, this time on her face, rendering Njano silent again.

Duni heard the hard slap against Njano's face, and began crying. "Please, Erevu, stop hitting her, she's hurt enough already..."

Erevu turned towards Duni and raised a paw to her too, but Safi growled and stood defensively between Erevu and Duni. "Lay a paw on her and I kill you right here," he snarled.

"Everyone, get a grip and focus on the matter at hand!" Adla roared, getting the whole Pride's attention. "Erevu, please stop beating Njano! Haven't you caused her enough pain already?"

Erevu narrowed his eyes. "I don't care about what you think anymore, Adla. If you want this lioness to remain unscathed, then you will make sure that she leaves this Pride, right now. Same thing goes for Kanai!"

Kanai looked up when she heard those words. "No!" she finally spoke.

Erevu turned to her, baring his teeth. "You're a disappointment to me, and you don't deserve Imara as your mate. The betrothal is canceled, he can now choose another lioness of the Pride as his mate."

Kanai went to join Imara and they both looked at each other, clearly not expecting this turn of events.

"No, Erevu, please," Kanai begged, "I don't want to leave... I've studied so hard, you know everyone agrees I'd be a good leader, please don't kick me out!"

Imara stood firmly by her side and joined her pleas. "You have to let her stay! You know I don't want any other lioness as my mate, I really like Kanai and I am sure all this is just... some... big misunderstanding!"

"There was no misunderstanding, Imara, we both saw them very clearly." Erevu then turned to Njano again, placing a paw under her chin and forcing her to look up. "How long has this been going on?"

Kanai stepped forward and answered the question before Njano could speak. "There was absolutely nothing going on! We're just good friends!"

Njano turned to look at Kanai. Her heart ached, seeing the love of her life denying all what they went through, as if it had not mattered at all.

"How do you explain what we saw today, then?" Erevu snarled at Kanai.

"She went looking for me and told me she knew of a way to help me through my season. That's all! I could not control myself, you know how hard it is... She was very insistent, and I just couldn't say no..."

Njano's mouth hung open for a couple of seconds, as Kanai told her, "I'm sorry, Njano, I can't cover this one up. If I had known that by accepting your help, I would upset Erevu and Imara so much, I'd never accepted it in the first place. I would never risk my position in the Pride, there's just too much at stake. You'd never understand... You have nothing to lose..."

Kanai gave a meaningful look at Njano, trying to convey how sorry she was for selling her out like that. She hoped she would understand.

Erevu turned to Njano again. "So this was all your idea, then?"

The whole Pride was silent, except for a few sobs coming from Duni, who seriously feared for her daughter's safety now.

"I... No, it... I..." Njano stammered, not sure how to react to her best friend's betrayal. She paced around nervously until she was face to face with Kanai. Njano looked deep into her eyes, reproachfully.

Kanai simply repeated in a soft whisper, for only for her to hear, "You have nothing to lose... Please..."

Njano had no other choice but to accept the fact that Kanai had just thrown her to the wild-dogs. She was now completely on her own.

Looking around at the Pride, Njano noticed that there was not one supportive look or gesture towards her. She saw Faiza and Etana whispering something amongst themselves, while Bahiya and Adla were trying to comfort Duni. Chiku was staring at her intently, as she tried to make sense of what was going on, her expression hard to read.

Njano closed her eyes and looked away. She could tell them the truth. She could tell them how Kanai was the first to declare feeling love for her, and how she started all this fake-mating thing in the first place. But that would only get both of them kicked out. Njano could now clearly see that Kanai really had no interest at all in her; she seemed more mortified about having to leave Imara and her position as leader, than about causing her grief and pain. So, even if they ended up in the same Pride after exile, the love and trust she once felt for Kanai had certainly taken a huge dent.

Njano, who had never been a vengeful lioness, opted to take the blame for now. She would then leave with Safi and Duni, and explain to them exactly what had happened. Whatever the rest of the Eyasi Pride would think of her was of no relevance any more.

"You all know Kanai and I have been best friends basically since the day she was born," Njano finally spoke, "I'd never do anything to hurt her or get her in trouble. All I wanted was to be there for her, always, to keep an eye on her and protect her. I even consented to mate with Erevu outside of my season, just to obtain his permission to keep my place in the Pride, and stay with her."

There was a murmur from the lionesses, while Kanai looked at her with eyes wide open, realizing how far Njano had gone for her. She felt her heart sinking to her stomach, when Erevu didn't deny it.

He looked a bit embarrassed, but finally confessed, "So we did. She came to me and we agreed in an exchange of favours," he told the lionesses, sounding slightly defensive, while the lionesses continued muttering amongst themselves.

"The point is..." Njano went on, "You can probably tell by now that I was willing to do _a lot _of things for Kanai. When I saw her suffering through her season tonight, I had the stupid, crazy idea that I might be able to help her. I had no idea if it would work or not, it was all just a stupid experiment. I didn't mean to get anyone into trouble, especially not Kanai."

The lionesses continued to whisper amongst themselves. Njano could pick up a few phrases, such as _'dumb mistake, but not worthy of exile'_, _'It was to be expected, with the lack of supervision from the mother...'_ and _'...not surprised she tried that silly idea out, she's always been a trouble maker after all...'_

Meanwhile, Adla had kept a close eye on Njano and Kanai during the whole conversation. There was way too much tension between those two, and it was obvious to her that this had not been one of Njano's silly games that she thought of in the spur of the moment. There was something deeper going on between them. Adla also remembered how Duni had approached her to discuss this matter; she was now sure that Duni had known more back then than she had dared to admit.

The alpha lioness could tell that, while shocked, the Pride would probably be willing to see past Kanai's and Njano's unusual feelings, but Erevu was clearly not in a forgiving mood. She had never seen him so upset, and she even wondered whether she would be able to help Njano any further.

Njano, in the meantime, looked around at the judgmental faces of the lionesses, but what hurt her the most was to see Duni looking extremely angry, while muttering to Safi, "I told her so, I warned her she'd get hurt."

What Njano didn't know, was that Duni was actually not angry at her, but at Erevu, for having taken advantage of her daughter's desire to stay. But Njano could not tell that at this point. It felt as if everyone was repulsed by what she had done, which somehow appeared to be serious enough to obscure the impact of Erevu's abuse of power. No one was talking about that. But the worst was seeing the disappointed look in Duni's face. It was extremely disarming, and it was then when Njano admitted defeat. All she wanted now was to run away and be on her own.

"I'm sorry, everyone..." Njano said, "I really didn't think my idea to help Kanai would be so devastating. I didn't mean to cause any trouble..."

Erevu hushed her with a snarl. He then took a deep breath, and addressed Imara. "Are you sure you still consider this lioness worthy of being your mate?" he asked, motioning with his head towards Kanai.

Imara nodded. "I do. I forgive her for giving in to Njano's suggestion. It was not Kanai's fault; I had already seen Njano act like that during wrestling, so I am not surprised that she tried this again tonight, taking advantage of Kanai's current state. Please let Kanai stay, it would be a shame if all her good training went to waste. She's worked extremely hard."

Erevu paced to and fro, looking thoughtful, but in the end he nodded and then looked at Kanai. "I expect nothing but a hundred percent loyalty from you from now on. You will go with Imara tonight, and seal your bond with him, as it was intended from the very beginning. I don't care if you want cubs or not."

Kanai nodded, willing to do whatever it takes so as not to get kicked out along with Njano.

"Fine, Kanai is allowed to stay," Erevu announced to the Pride, but then bared his teeth menacingly in front of the shaken lioness, "But one paw out of line, and you'll regret it. You hear me?"

Kanai nodded again, bowing at him in respect, and muttering, "I didn't mean to let you and Imara down. I'm very sorry."

Adla then walked to Erevu, and placed a paw on his shoulder. "I think they both have learned their lesson now, let's just leave them alone."

Erevu shook Adla's paw off him. "I'm not done with Njano yet," he growled.

Erevu approached Njano, who was visibly shaken, and kept staring down at her own paws in shame.

"You tried to corrupt Kanai from the very beginning, with your childish nonsense, your stupid games, and now this... I think you deserve a bigger punishment. Exile is not good enough," he snarled.

Adla insisted and tried to calm him down. "Come on, Erevu, she's been through enough already."

"You won't get your way this time, Adla," Erevu replied, relieved that the truth about his arrangement with Njano had been revealed, and Adla couldn't blackmail him anymore. He turned to Njano once more. "She seems to think she can act like a male, let's see if she can fight like one too."

Njano looked up at him, visibly scared. "Are- Are you challenging me?"

Erevu didn't have to answer that. His aggressive demeanor and his combat stance were clear enough.

Njano knew there was no way she could win a fight against someone Erevu's size. It would be suicide to try and stand up to him like that. But before she could say anything in her defense, Erevu pounced at her, with bared teeth and extended claws. He was not playing games.

Njano tried desperately to avoid his attacks. She wasn't even fighting back, she was only trying to look for a way out, but Erevu was a trained fighter and he kept blocking her path, while injuring Njano in the process. The lioness screamed with every blow and slash she received, roaring loudly in pain.

The voices from her pride-mates became a blur. Everyone was screaming for Erevu to stop, but the Pride, seeing that even Adla received a painful blow as well when she tried to intervene, didn't dare to break into the fight.

Kanai had buried her face in Imara's short mane, not being able to stand seeing her friend hurt like that. She felt Njano would die at Erevu's paws, and it was all her fault. The thought made her sick to her stomach and she had to force herself not to throw up on the spot.

The one-sided fight ended abruptly when the sound of another male's voice joined in with Erevu's imposing roars. Safi could not take the abuse any longer, and disregarding his own safety, he had jumped into the scene of the fight, standing up defensively between Erevu and Njano.

"That's enough," Safi yelled, "She's not fighting back, can't you see? Well, I am willing to fight for her, if you insist in carrying on with this gruesome display of dominance!"

Erevu snarled, sizing Safi up and down. The lion was much stronger, and he didn't want to risk making a fool of himself in front of his Pride.

Erevu only shook his head in response, and dropped his fighting stance. He walked around Safi, staring down at Njano with disgust.

Njano lay sprawled on the ground, bleeding from several places. Although her wounds were not deep or lethal, the heavy blows she received to the head were making her act dazed and confused. She was not quite aware of the reality of her situation, because she kept calling softly, "Uncle... Uncle..." as if she had been engaged in nothing but a wrestling game.

The lioness recovered shortly after and became aware of her surroundings once again. She looked around, and immediately tucked in her ears and tail, curling up into a small ball, when she saw Erevu glaring down at her. She even soiled herself slightly as she released her own urine, the biggest sign of submission she could give to Erevu, hoping to appease him.

No one in the Pride had seen someone act so meekly out of sheer terror, but before they could rush to Njano's side to assist her, Erevu motioned them to stop.

"Get up," he told Njano, unimpressed by her submissive gesture. "This is what's in stock for you, if you decide to stay. What will it be?"

Njano stood up with trembling paws and shook her head. "I'll- I'll go..."

Erevu smirked for a moment. "Good. And I'll tell you what... Since you like games so much," Erevu taunted, "How about you join me on this one? I will count to three and you'll start running. If I catch up with you, I tear you to pieces. If you manage to outrun me, then you'll live. I think the rules are clear enough, don't you agree?"

Njano heard an explosion of voices and yells around her but nothing made much sense to her anymore. She had no idea if they were defending her, or egging Erevu on. All she knew is that he looked serious enough, and she knew for certain that her life was at stake.

"One..." he started counting, "Two..."

Before Erevu reached the number three, Chiku actually pounced on him and pinned him down to the ground.

"Come on, someone, help me!" Chiku called, and Safi came to her assistance, keeping Erevu hostage under their own body weight.

"Run! Get away now, while you can! We'll try to hold him back!" Chiku screamed at Njano.

Njano looked at her, puzzled as to why Chiku, of all lionesses, would risk her life like that for her. But Njano had no time to ponder about it right now. She turned around and ran as fast as her wounded legs could carry her, while back in the distance Duni's cries could be heard loud and clear.

"Njano, no, please! Where is she heading? What's going on?" cried the blind lioness desperately. No one was answering her questions amidst all the chaos, so without hesitation, Duni darted off, trying to follow Njano's trail.

Adla quickly joined in the pile of lions holding Erevu down.

"Go after them," she told Safi, "bring them to safety, hurry!"

Safi nodded and released Erevu, while Adla and Bahiya took his place. The lion then ran after Duni as fast as he could.

"Get off me!" Erevu growled," I wasn't planning on giving chase! Let me up!" but the lionesses didn't risk it and kept him down until Safi had disappeared in the distance.

* * *

Safi didn't take long to catch up with Duni. As fast as she was running, the lioness was being careless, not being able to afford time to spend in recognizing her surroundings. Duni kept tripping with everything in her path, injuring herself with branches and bushes in her way.

"Duni, Duni!" Safi called, "Stop this! You're only hurting yourself. Come on, I'll lead you to Njano."

Duni brightened up when she heard his voice. "Okay... You go ahead, I'll follow your trail," she told him.

Safi nodded, and ran ahead as fast as he could, while leaving a few sloppy marks for Duni around obstacles along the way, so that she could keep up.

Safi gasped as he picked up the sound of the river not far away, realizing that Njano was heading in that direction.

"Njano! Njano, please stop! It's me, Safi! Erevu's not giving chase!" he called in vain.

Njano was vaguely aware of someone yelling her name in the distance, but the lioness was not stopping for anything.

She eventually reached the edge of the river and stopped abruptly, panting heavily. She had only been here once, with Adla and Duni, and they warned her not to jump in under any circumstances. However, she knew Erevu hated water, and he would not pursue her if she were to dive into the river.

The lioness looked around and searched for crocodiles nearby, but there weren't any. The current was strong though, and she knew she would be dragged along. But she was also very confident in her swimming abilities, and she was sure she could make it to the other side. The river would erase her trail, and Erevu would not be able to find her anymore.

With that thought in mind, the lioness took a deep breath and plunged into the cold water, while the current immediately swiped her away.

Njano had never experienced anything quite like this. She know understood why Adla had warned her about this place. Swimming in the tranquil lake could not be compared to being swept down forcefully by the water, and trying to stay afloat in these troubled waters was proving more difficult than she anticipated. The water kept rushing over her head, making it difficult to see where she was heading. But Njano finally managed to keep her head out of the water, and used her remaining strength to wade across to the other side of the river bank, while trying to avoid obstacles in the process.

She hit a few rocks here and there, but she eventually managed to reach the river bank. Njano didn't linger by the edge for long. She shook the excess water off her pelt, and ventured quickly deep into the bushes to take shelter, just in case Erevu was still looking for her.

Njano remained on the lookout for a while, but the exertion she just went through finally took its toll, and she fell asleep despite all her efforts to stay awake and keep guard.

* * *

When Safi reached the river, he sniffed around desperately, hoping that Njano had decided to take a different route. He checked the trees and bushes around, but Njano's scent trail ended right by the river bank. It became clear to him that the lioness had jumped into the water.

Safi was staring at the river with tears in his eyes, wondering how to break the news to Duni, who had just managed to catch up with him.

"Tell me she didn't jump in, please..." she muttered, out of breath.

"I'm sorry, Duni..."

"There must be something we can do! I'll- I'll go find her!" Duni said, and jumped straight into the water, but Safi held her by the tail tightly and pulled her back out, while Duni coughed and gasped for air.

"My dear, there is no way you can follow her there. We have no idea if she made it out. Even if we managed to cross to the other side, who knows where she ended up? The current is extremely strong. Even I don't dare to jump in. There's no way you could make it without being able to see and dodge all those logs and rocks."

Duni cried out loud, roaring and calling for her daughter, hoping to hear Njano's voice from the other side, telling her that she was okay. But no one answered her roars.

"I have an idea," Safi told her, "Let's follow the river, maybe we can spot something..."

Duni agreed, and followed Safi, calling for Njano while he kept a sharp eye on the opposite side of the river bank. He kept to himself the fact that the current was worse than before, and there were lots of sharp, dangerous rocks sticking out of the water. His hopes of Njano making it out alive were diminishing considerably.

"I think I hear something..." Duni said, pricking her ears.

"It was a warthog that was drinking, but ran away when he spotted us."

They carried on like that for what seemed like an eternity to Duni. Even she could tell now that the river was extremely dangerous, by the loud and gushing sound of the water.

Safi was about to give up, when he thought he saw something.

"Hold on..." he told Duni, and squinted to try and see better. "There's a bit of sand on the other side, part of it is dry, and part of it is wet, like something crawled out of the water... There are some pawprints too, heading into the bush."

"How to tell if they're Njano's?"

Safi looked around, to see if there were any birds in the area that might have spotted something weird. There were some vultures circling the sky on the other side, not a very reassuring sight.

"Hey," Safi called them. One of them flew closer, curious as to why a lion would be addressing them.

"Did you just see a lioness get out of the water? Right over there?"

"Why, yes, I did! Family of yours?" a female vulture replied.

"Is she okay?"

The vulture chuckled and landed on a nearby branch. "Let's say we're just hanging around, just in case..."

Duni began crying again. "No... My daughter..." Her legs gave in and Duni flopped on the ground, calling Njano's name time and time again.

The buzzard tilted her head. "Hey... Hey, calm down! I'm sorry, I was just pulling your leg! The lioness is doing fine!"

Safi looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," the bird nodded, "She seemed to be running away from something, cause she didn't stay for long. She's gone to hide somewhere, that's all I know."

Safi turned to Duni and nuzzled her lovingly. "You hear that? She's alive... She's strong, I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I didn't even get to say good-bye... And now I won't meet her again..." Duni said between sobs.

The vulture jumped off the tree and landed next to the two lions. She patted Duni on the paw with a wing, startling the lioness slightly. It was then when the bird realized that Duni was blind. She felt very sorry for her.

"Well, you know, this river doesn't stay like this all the time," the bird said, "You should come back during the dry season. If there's a bad drought, you could even have the chance of just walking to the other side. Who knows? Maybe you'll find her again."

Duni nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the suggestion... Maybe I will."

The vulture noticed that the other birds that were still circling above them finally started sweeping down. "Ah, I must go now, it seems that the sick croc we were waiting on has finally passed away. Good luck, and I hope you get to see your daughter again soon!"

Safi watched the vulture take off, just as the sun started coming out, bringing a new day to the Savannah.

"Come, we're of no use to her here anyway. Let's go to our new home now. We can take a detour and avoid the Eyasi Pride if you want," Safi said.

Duni agreed, she didn't feel like being confronted by them again. "If we happen to come across any of them, let's just tell them Njano didn't make it. I don't want Erevu going to look for her."

"Okay, as you wish," Safi replied.

The two lions started the journey back to the new place they would call home. While Duni already had tried to get used to the idea that Njano would not be coming along with them, the way things turned out was simply just too painful for her, and she would burst into tears sometimes. Safi then would stop and let her cry, comforting her as much as he could.

Safi and Duni finally settled down in their new territory, and as time went by, Duni was less prone to crying, and resumed her usual routine of rodent hunting. But the experiences she had with the Eyasi Pride deeply affected her, and the lioness vowed to never have a cub again.

Safi simply decided to give her time and let her heal.

The lion eventually found two young lionesses roaming the area, who showed interest in joining his little Pride. For a change, they were actually intrigued by Duni's disability, and showed her respect instead of disdain.

"Anyone who can survive this long without seeing must be totally badass!" said the youngest one, who had picked up a few bad words along the way.

The wandering lionesses decided to linger in Safi's territory for a few days, just to see if they felt at home with him and Duni. They quickly found out that Duni was very motherly and sweet-tempered, always willing to groom them and listen to what they had to say. They also saw in Safi a very strong and well-mannered lion. He never asked anything inappropriate of them, and even surprised them with a zebra for lunch one day, showing them that he was willing to help out sometimes, and not just laze around all day.

The two lionesses finally made up their minds one afternoon, and they approached Safi and Duni resolutely.

"Had you guys already picked a name for your Pride?" one of them asked.

Duni appeared confused for a moment, as she had never given this much thought. But it was Safi who answered the question.

"Of course. We're the Njano Pride," he said, matter-of-factly.

The lionesses then proceeded to roar loudly, screaming the name of their new Pride out loud, as a sign of allegiance.

Safi looked at them, pleasantly surprised to see that they had accepted to stay, and he roared in return, sealing their new bond of friendship, and welcoming them to thrive under his care and protection.

"The Njano Pride..." Duni repeated softly to herself. She perked her ears and turned her face towards the sound of Safi's voice, still roaring, sounding content. Her face brightened up as she smiled gratefully at him.

* * *

The lionesses from the Eyasi Pride had finally let Erevu up. He shook himself and turned towards them.

"What got into you?" he asked Chiku, still looking furious.

"I'm sorry, but as much as I disliked Njano and felt like beating her up once or twice, you totally crossed the line. She showed absolute submission to you, why couldn't you leave it at that?" Chiku snarled, breathing fast.

Nura joined in, "Yes, I think your macho display was totally unnecessary, that poor lioness was sincerely sorry!"

Bahiya and Adla cornered him as well, nodding their heads in agreement with the rest.

"Back off, all of you," Erevu snarled, "I did what I had to do to teach her a lesson. She's finally gone now, and I don't want to see her again. So anybody thinking of going to look for her and bring her back can save yourselves the trouble, if you want her to live," he added, looking intently at Kanai, who had stopped crying in the meantime.

"We're not happy at all with the way you dealt with this, Erevu," Adla said, "A decent and fair ruler would have found a better solution."

"Some of you lionesses need a firmer paw than others," Erevu muttered, looking away, "I did what I thought was best to enforce our rules. Also, I did it to ensure that none of you get any bright ideas and start trying out insane stuff during your season. I will not tolerate it, so consider yourselves warned."

Erevu walked away, leaving the lionesses brooding in their anger.

"Poor Njano, she didn't deserve that," Bahiya said, "I could see Duni's heart breaking while all this was going on. Can you imagine, not being able to intervene while something like this is happening to your own daughter?"

Adla sighed deeply, and she turned to Kanai. The young lioness looked very miserable, but at the same time she was glad she could stay with her Pride.

Adla approached Kanai and whispered for only her to hear, "I think you've made a big mistake, Kanai. Next time you manage to make a friend half as good as Njano was, make sure you stand up for her in her time of need. Also, you should know by now that lying to save your own hide is not a trait of a good leader," she added, glancing with a stern expression at Erevu in the distance.

Kanai looked away, muttering something unintelligible, and decided to leave before the other lionesses questioned her further.

"Come on, Imara... Erevu gave us a task to complete," Kanai said, not sounding very much in the mood to mate with him despite being in season.

The lionesses remained quiet as Imara and Kanai disappeared in the distance, and one by one they retreated to their resting places. Only Chiku appeared glued to her spot, looking distant and thoughtful. Her best friend Damisi gave her a quick nuzzle, while whispering, "Are you going to be okay?"

Chiku nodded. "Sure, don't worry. You go ahead, I'll see you later."

Adla looked over her shoulder and happened to witness their exchange. Feeling curious, she waited for the rest of the lionesses to walk away and then approached Chiku, sitting down next to her.

"Thanks for helping Njano. I know you didn't like her much, so what you did for her was very noble and brave."

Chiku shrugged slightly. "Something about her today managed to melt this icy heart of mine. Just a bit."

Adla looked at her, intrigued. "Really? How?"

"It just happened..." She then turned to Adla, clearly hesitating to ask a question, but she went ahead in the end, "Do you think that she could have actually been in love with Kanai? I mean, Njano certainly looked broken-hearted... There was something in the way they were acting and how they looked at each other..."

"I noticed the same thing," Adla replied, "If they were in love, they kept their secret well, probably anticipating that Erevu wouldn't react too well."

Adla glanced at Chiku and ventured to ask, "Um... I hope you don't mind me me asking, but... Are you in love with a lioness too?"

"No, no," Chiku replied quickly, and looked at Adla. Chiku knew she could trust her, so she went on, "My mother was."

Chiku couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Adla's surprised expression.

"Really? Your mother?"

"Heh, does it really shock you? She was a lot like a male, if you think about it... Always fighting and challenging rogues... I know she was very happy by the side of a lioness she met outside the borders, and was devastated when she moved on with her own Pride on to greener pastures. The look in Njano's eyes, her determination and the lengths she went through to be able to stay with us... All that just strongly reminded me of mother. You know... Mother was planning to take the big step of leaving the Eyasi Pride to follow her lover, but that was around the time when she got bitten by that stupid snake..."

Adla looked genuinely surprised. Chiku's mother used to be very stern, and she seemed to live for training and fighting only. She couldn't picture her being tender with another lioness.

"I was going to help mother leave, but I didn't have the chance to do so. Today I had the chance to help Njano instead, so I went for it," Chiku said, sighing deeply, "I don't think that loving another lioness should earn you being beaten to death, like Erevu was doing with Njano."

Adla nodded in agreement. "It's terrible that things had to end this way. Poor Duni was devastated too... I hope she will find comfort in Safi. Who knows, Njano might have left with them after all."

"Anyway, I'm going for a walk," Chiku said, standing up. "By the way, only Damisi knows about this, so I trust you won't tell anyone else what I've confided in you tonight."

"My muzzle is sealed," Adla replied.

Both lionesses parted ways, and Adla rejoined the rest of the Pride, looking around at her Pride-mates, wondering if there was anyone else concealing a love secret as well. Everyone looked like a suspect now, as they groomed each other and snuggled together.

She shook herself and lay down next to Bahiya, sending good thoughts to Duni and Njano, wishing them good luck under Safi's care. Adla had a hard time trying to fall asleep, but when she finally did, she didn't wake up until the sun had risen. A new day had come by, and life went on in the Savannah.

The Pride resumed their usual activities, but there was a lot of tension in the air, a feeling that simply didn't fade away in the days to come. The lionesses remained very distant with Erevu and that kept him on edge, wondering if he had really crossed the line this time, and whether his own lionesses would all turn against him at some point.

Erevu had thought that he would finally be happy once Duni, Safi and Njano went away, but that was far from the truth. The lion had become moodier, and fights would easily break out between him and his pride-mates. The Eyasi Pride had certainly seen happier days, and the lionesses' relationship with their leader remained very unstable for months to come.


	18. The Beginning of a Long Journey

**Lioness Tales**

_**Tale 1: Njano's Secret**_

**Chapter 18: The Beginning of a Long Journey**

Njano was so tired that she slept soundly, despite the emotionally rough night she just had. She even slept through the sound of Duni's roaring as she called out her name in the distance. When she finally woke up, she looked around, feeling confused and unable to recognize her surroundings.

"Where am I..." she mumbled, and groaned when she tried to sit up. Her body was extremely sore, and every little movement she made caused her intense pain.

The memories of the night before started coming slowly back to her, and the heartache began to rival her physical pain.

The lioness could not stop herself from shedding new tears, as she came to grips with what had happened. She felt extremely angry at Kanai, and her disappointment in her was huge. Njano felt used, almost as bad as when Erevu asked her to mate with him. But the pain of having being used by Kanai felt ten times worse.

After she was done crying, Njano dried her face and shook herself, grunting slightly from the pain caused by her wounds. She thought, _I'm not going to cry for her anymore. She's not worth my tears, she's not worth my love. She's probably roaring in pleasure right now as Imara claims her as her mate, pretending like I never existed. Well, two can play that game, Kanai..._

Njano took a deep breath, determined to get Kanai out of her mind. She stood up resolutely and concentrated on her new surroundings instead. She began sniffing here and there, making sure she wasn't invading anyone's territory. She had been too tired to check when she came out of the river, and the last thing she wanted right now as make yet another enemy. Surveying the landscape, she noticed there weren't that many herds around, and wondered whether she would encounter any Prides at all.

The deeper she ventured into the area, the more desertic the landscape became. Njano eventually sat down, unsure where to go next. She thought returning to the river bank would be the best option. At least she could have a drink there, and perhaps look for some rodents to eat.

As she made her way back, she thought she heard some voices in the distance. Njano decided to get closer and see if anyone could tell her more about this area, or if they had seen other lions around.

The strangers probably heard her coming, because they hushed immediately.

"Um... Hello?" Njano called, "I mean no harm, please... I'm new here, I just need some directions..."

After a short moment, two skinny lionesses peeked curiously from behind a termite mound, and approached Njano, eying her carefully.

"Oh... Hello... I'm sorry, are these your lands? I really didn't mean to intrude," Njano told them, adopting a submissive stance right away.

"Relax, we ain't gonna hurt you. We're nomads, just passing by," the oldest lioness replied, getting closer to inspect Njano's wounds.

Njano looked at her nervously; she looked like a thinner version of Chiku, covered in scars, but lacking half the muscle mass.

"That's quite a beating you took," the lioness finally said, "Lemme guess, a rough encounter with a male?"

Njano nodded as she took a step backwards.

The other lioness also came closer to check her out. "Wow, he got you good, you must be in a lot of pain!"

Njano was slightly taken aback by their sudden interest, and wasn't sure what to do or say. "Er, yeah, it still hurts. These cuts are fresh, from last night."

The older lioness frowned. "Really? Weird, I was so sure there weren't any males around here yesterday, we checked..."

Njano shook her head. "I come from across the river. I swam all the way here after-" she interrupted herself, not sure how much she actually wanted to disclose to these strangers. "I was... I was banished from my Pride," she admitted in the end, not going into more details.

"Oh, I see. No wonder you look so healthy and well fed. I already thought you looked too good to be a rogue lioness."

"Well, I am one now..." Njano whispered.

"I guess all these cuts and gashes are part of your punishment?" the younger lioness asked, still inspecting Njano's wounds. She looked about Njano's age, perhaps slightly older, but her fur was dull and unkempt.

"Yeah," Njano replied, "I ran away from him before he could do any more damage. I can swim very well so I jumped into the water, and the river carried me down here..."

"Why did he banish you? What did you do?" the older one asked.

"I'm sorry, but that matter's private," Njano said firmly. She would never speak of Kanai if she could help it, nor about her forbidden love for her, and would take her secret to her grave.

"Are you with a stranger's cub?" the lioness insisted.

"No," Njano replied, "and I didn't kill anyone either."

"Hmm," replied the older lioness, staring at her thoughtfully, trying to figure out what else could have gotten Njano banned from her Pride.

"Well, since you don't have anywhere else to go, why don't you stick around with us for a while? Maybe we can hunt something nice and big if we work together," the younger lioness suggested.

Njano looked at her and smiled slightly. "That sounds like a good plan, is she okay with it too?"

"Zira?" the younger lioness asked her companion, "What do you say, ain't that a good idea?"

The lioness whose name was Zira pondered for only a moment, and nodded in agreement. "We can always use a good set o'paws to aid us in the hunt. I assume that coming from a Pride, you've had proper hunting lessons, right?"

Njano nodded, keeping to herself that she was not the brightest hunter the Eyasi Pride had seen.

"All right, then I suggest we get moving then. There's little food in this area, but I heard from the buzzards that if we keep following the river we'll find greener grasses. What's your name, by the way?" Zira asked.

"I'm Njano, and you're... Zira, was it?"

Zira nodded in reply.

"My name's Kahawia," the other lioness added.

"Nice to meet you both," Njano replied sincerely, feeling lucky to have found company so quickly. These two lionesses were helping keep her distracted from thinking over and over about what had happened.

"Have you been nomads for long?" Njano asked.

"Yeah, since we were cubs actually," Kahawia replied, and then turned to Zira, "It's okay if I tell her, right?"

Zira shrugged, "There's not much to tell anyway, but go ahead, if you feel like it."

Kahawia went on, "Our Pride was taken over by a passing rogue, and we had to run for it. So we did, and here we are."

"Didn't you ever try to join another Pride?" Njano asked, genuinely curious.

Kahawia's ears folded back sadly for a moment. "Yeah, but Zira never wanted to stay. I didn't understand why, until recently..."

Zira looked over her shoulder and growled, "The leaders we came across kept asking for _something _in return every time, even if we weren't of age yet. So I kept on searching."

Njano let out a deep sigh. "I see... One of the lessons I learned myself was that if you want a favor, don't go to the male, look for the alpha lioness instead and you might get better results."

Zira looked at her for a moment, wondering what Njano's rank might have been.

"In the end we decided we needed no stinking Leader or Pride," Zira went on, "We were getting by just fine, all on our own. So we stopped searching, and instead of settling down somewhere, we just kept traveling a lot and checking out new places."

"I've always dreamed of seeing new lands, I guess now's my chance..." Njano said.

"Brace yourself, it's no glamorous life, being a nomad," Zira warned her, "Sometimes we have to get into fights just for the right to sleep somewhere, and you can probably tell already by the looks of us that catching food ain't easy. This ain't no holiday, get it?"

"I understand," Njano replied, and sniffed the ground around her. "Are you hungry right now?"

Kahawia let out a laugh. "We're always hungry."

Njano kept sniffing until she located the burrow of a gopher, the way Duni had taught her. She swiftly killed the critter, snapping its neck with one single bite, and placed it in front of Zira, who was obviously the more dominant one, as a gesture of friendship.

Zira smiled for the first time since meeting Njano, her stern features brightening up considerably. "Well, well... I could really use some of this... Thanks," she said sincerely, and began eating voraciously.

Kahawia's mouth started to water and she even made an attempt to steal some of Zira's food, but the lioness growled and took off with the gopher in her muzzle, looking for a place where she could eat in peace.

"Hey! It wouldn't kill you to share every now and then!" Kahawia yelled at her, but before she knew it, Njano was already holding another gopher in her mouth.

Kahawia perked her ears, looking hopeful, and grinned thankfully when Njano pushed the food towards her with her nose. She too took off with her gift inside her muzzle, and looked for a secluded place to eat.

Njano watched them eat, while keeping her distance. She noticed that the two nomads were extremely protective of their food, something she had not experienced before with the Eyasi Pride. There had been small fights every now and then, but dinner was always considered a good opportunity to bond and catch up. It was then when Njano realized that she had never really experienced hunger, like these two nomads had. Maybe in time she would become as protective of her meal, just like these two lionesses.

Njano got distracted from her thoughts when Zira returned. Part of her chin was still covered in her prey's blood. She sat down next to Kahawia and they groomed each other's face quite quickly, having forgotten all about their fight earlier.

Once they were done cleaning each other, Zira stretched herself, revealing her extremely sharp claws in the process, and told them, "All right, let's get going."

"Were you actually heading somewhere in particular?" Njano asked with curiosity.

Zira turned to her and smirked for a moment. "How good are you at climbing trees?"

Njano looked away, mumbling softly, "There was one tree I could have climbed with my eyes closed."

"Well, try this one here," Zira said, and she quickly climbed up a nearby tree with extreme ease, almost leopard-like.

Njano did her best, and managed to reach the same branch, although less gracefully than Zira had done.

"Look over there," Zira told her, staring into the distance, "See that huge, pointy rock, all the way back there? That's where we're heading."

Njano squinted to look better, and noticed a monolith, far away in the horizon. "Yeah, I see it, but it looks so far away... You really think we can make it all the way there?"

"You'd be surprised to see the distance Kahawia and I've already covered," Zira added, "We won't be there overnight, of course, but we've heard lots of good things of that area, so I think it's worth the long trip. We got nothing else to do anyway. Why not go check it out?"

Zira climbed down the tree with the same agility as before, while Njano lingered a bit longer on the branch, looking at the distant monolith. She turned around with the intention of climbing down, but couldn't resist trying to take a quick peek at the area on the other side of the river. She climbed onto a higher branch instead, and looked over the river, towards the place that had been her home.

Njano looked at her old territory in the distance. She could spot the rocks that formed the Eyasi lair, the sheltering trees, and the lake. It impressed her to see how small and distant it all looked from her current point of view. All of a sudden, that monolith didn't seem that far away after all.

"Hey, are you coming?" Kahawia called.

Njano nodded, and whispered a soft farewell. She then climbed down the tree, losing her grip in the process and landing hard on her face.

"Yikes, we'll have to teach you how to climb down," Kahawia chuckled, while Njano rubbed her nose.

"You okay there?" Zira asked, not looking amused at all.

"Sure, sure, no problem," Njano nodded, her eyes watering slightly from the stinging pain.

"All right, let's go. And don't fool around."

Njano watched Zira as she took the lead, and whispered at Kahawia, "Is she always so serious?"

Kahawia smiled slightly as she walked, lagging behind so that Zira wouldn't hear them. "Kinda, yes. You have to understand, she had to assume the role of mother at a very young age, to take care of me. While other cubs our age were busy playing and having fun, she was looking for food for the both of us and fighting to try to keep us alive."

"It's amazing that you managed to survive on your own... Who taught you how to hunt and fight?"

"No one, really... We've picked up a few tricks from other animals here and there, but we learned everything mostly on our own. So don't laugh at us when you see us in action!"

"I promise I won't," Njano told her, and whispered, "between you and me, I am not that much of a huntress either."

Kahawia laughed again, enjoying greatly the company of this younger lioness. Zira had always been the quiet type, so Kahawia was very relieved to have someone to talk to during these long walks.

"As for fighting... It sorta comes natural to Zira. She's stood up to lots of predators and even a few grown males already, just in case you're wondering where all those scars come from. She might look skinny, but she's damn fast and strong."

"Hurry up, you two," Zira called them, walking at a brisk pace.

The two lionesses increased their tempo and caught up with Zira, walking silently now while enjoying the scenery.

Njano took a deep breath, once she realized they had finally left the river behind. The sound of the running water could not be heard anymore in the distance. They could only hear a few birds in the air and the gusts of wind, which brought to Njano new and unfamiliar smells. The lioness kept scenting the air, trying to take everything in.

She didn't look back anymore, and when her mind wandered back to Kanai and to what she might be doing now, she would simply glance at the wounds Erevu inflicted on her, reminding herself of the pain Kanai caused her. She would then try to focus on something else.

Whenever she felt like she was missing Duni, or when she felt like crying, either with sadness or in anger, she'd go to Kahawia and ask her a random question about places she had been. Kahawia turned out to be a good story-teller, and she was more than happy to answer Njano's questions, keeping her distracted.

And so began Njano's life as a nomad lioness.

As days went by, Njano realized she didn't miss her old life all that much. She got far more respect from the two nomads than she ever got from the Eyasi Pride, and despite being labeled as a poor huntress all her life, Zira and Kahawia admired Njano's skills and were very insistent in learning from her.

Njano in turn began taking fighting lessons from Zira, so that if any other male were to attack her again, she would be able to defend herself and not feel afraid.

She had to agree with Zira that being a nomad wasn't easy. They remained constantly on the move, heading towards the monolith, leaving little time for naps and leisure moments. Njano was practically forced to forget all about her childish games, not by orders of Zira, but because she simply had no time to engage in those activities anymore. They spent most of the time walking, searching for food, and fighting off other animals as they constantly invaded other's territories while passing through.

To add to that, Njano had lost a lot of weight, and her pelt eventually became dusty and matted, since they didn't have much time to dedicate to grooming. The nomads preferred to catch on some sleep instead, and Njano could now understand why. She was no longer able to sleep as soundly and deeply like she did before. They always remained on the lookout for possible attackers, and any little sound would wake her up and keep her on edge, making it difficult to fall asleep again. So, if she had to choose between a grooming session and a power-nap, she would certainly go for a short moment of precious sleep.

Njano also earned new scars, from trying to defend her food from opportunistic scavengers who wanted to steal it. She knew now what it felt like to go several days without eating, and she was more than willing to fight to protect her meal.

But all in all, Njano wouldn't even think of returning to the Eyasi Pride now, even if given the chance. She had finally found a group where she felt like she belonged, and Njano had never been more satisfied and proud of herself than she was today. Her only regret was not having had time to explain to Safi and Duni what had really happened between her and Kanai.

Njano was sure that Duni would be very happy if she could hear how much she'd grown and matured ever since she left, and Njano kept telling herself that they would meet again, somehow, and she would finally make her mother proud. That thought warmed up Njano's heart, and gave her strength and courage to go on.

**THE END**

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

So that was it, Njano's secret! I hope you enjoyed this story, I certainly had lots of fun writing it!

Please let me know in a review or PM whether you'd like to find out more about one specific lioness, whether one of the OCs from my previous TLK stories, or an official TLK lioness. Who would you like to see featured in the next Lioness Tale? :D

Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, special cookies go to Reldor, nightrunner21193, Eternal-M0onlight and Ururocks513! ***hugs all***

Also, please check out the following awesome pieces of fanart for this story (remove the spaces between the dots and the slashes!):

**"Njano's Secret"**, made by nightrunner21193 on Deviantart: _nightrunner21193 . deviantart . com / art / Njano-s-Secret-297733920_

**"Duni and Faraji"**, commission made by TLK-Ileana on Deviantart: _tlk-ileana . deviantart . com / art / Commission-Duni-and-Faraji-296489933_

Thanks again, and until the next story!

Signing off for now,

Niche Eenhoorn.


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